


A Study of Lions & Badgers

by MoonWitch96



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-18
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2018-12-16 23:16:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 40
Words: 21,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11839062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonWitch96/pseuds/MoonWitch96
Summary: AU. A story of a certain Badger who looked after a little lion, from afar, not understanding why. And eventually when they meet face to face. Drabble Series. Please Read and Review.





	1. Chapter 1

Cedric Diggory; pure blood, sixth year and Hufflepuff Champion, resident school heartthrob( _pretty boy pounce_ ), top grades, Prefect, star seeker and Quidditch Captain to boot. A bit of a ditz most would say, very impulsive and should've been in Gryffindor by his sheer never alone and his tendency for being outstanding and popular. Hermione Granger; muggleborn, fourth year and Gryffindor Princess, resident book worm( _prissy swot_ ), top grades, part of the 'Golden Trio', best friend to one Harry Potter. Very bossy, brilliantly scary, brightest witch of her age, and should have been in Ravenclaw by her raw academic talent. And they would never really speak to each other in the course of their time attending the same school. Different houses, different years, different social circles. It was just how things worked.

Or at least that was what one would see if they quick look at two students of the prestigious school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Cedric himself wasn't overly fond of that quicksort of categorization. He had always been a very curious person by nature. It was instinct, ever since he had been a child: the world had been something to gawk at, dissect, and catalog into neat little boxes of knowledge. He liked to break down the world, There wasn't a moment where he hadn't been outside collecting specimen after specimen after specimen or had his nose stuck in a book on anything and everything. Facts were interesting, fascinating and he just had to  _understand_. He absorbed them like mad, and he could quote the entirety of his textbooks verbatim if asked. He had dreamed of being a Ravenclaw since as long as he could remember, looking at his mum's old robes and pictures...

But come his sorting, he had been very shocked.

The hat had only explained it briefly, and even all these years later at seventeen, he remembered its words: "A damn good mind, but a better heart... BETTER BE HUFFLEPUFF!". He had been mortified, and he remembered stumbling to the Hufflepuff table beet red. The slaps to his back and the sincere hellos had made him feel numb. He hadn't answered him, just stared at his empty plate. But he also remembered looking at the sea of blue and bronze just next to him: feeling a sort of tug of mortification in his stomach and an anger burning in his chest at the whole ordeal. Cedric had hated Hufflepuff, despite the wonderful kindness and generally good atmosphere his house had. He had felt that anger for a long time, even after he had come to accept his house, and even love it.

For the first three years at Hogwarts, anger still with him, but he discovered ways to work around that... Cedric had been skating through his school years, top of the class out of default, somehow popular, and entering his second year as Seeker on the Quidditch team. That was when Harry Potter came to Hogwarts. And more importantly to him, that was when Hermione Granger had come to Hogwarts.

He remembered her sorting, her smallness only rivaled by Potter, and her wild hair sticking out like a sore thumb, glinting in the candle light a near red in its brown. He remembered clapping for her when her house was called out. And as far as he was concerned, that was the end of that( _he should have paid more attention, been more interested if he had just known_ ), and he had watched Potter being sorted with a faint interest, but no real surprise at the choice of his house.

It wasn't until they got their first report on grading that he even thought of her again. Top of her house... Top of her class. Top of the school... In fact, she broke records in nearly all of her classes that first grading period.  _His_  records. Hell, she had beaten a few that hadn't been topped in centuries, something he himself had failed to do.

Cedric had never been so stunned.

It was worse than when he had been sorted into Hufflepuff. He had pride in his work, as half arsed as it was sometimes. Hell, he was meticulous at he could ever be about something he didn't like, and he had the advantage of being born into the wizarding world, he had been studying this thing way before this twelve-year-old kid had been born.

He had gotten upset. Really upset. And _everyone_ had noticed. His friends and dorm-mates had given him a wide berth. His grade drops, because why the bloody hell was he working so hard if a kid younger than him could do it so much better? He skipped out on Quidditch. He half expected his father to come in one day and simply snap his wand for being such a bloody failure, and he could just picture the crushing disappointment on his face and his mother crying, and Hermione Granger, who hardly made it to his chest looking at him with a smug face, because she was just that much better than him...

And then Professor Sprout had sat him down and talked. It hadn't been a long talk, five minutes at the most, but it had altered the way Cedric had seen things so vividly that he couldn't help but like Granger for causing it to occur in the first place. He couldn't really remember her words, as important as they had been, despite his amazing memory, those words were lost in everything but intent. The feelings and memories had been front and center, and Cedric believed that was the important thing... But he remembered the conclusion he had made when he had walked out of her office and seen a first year struggling with her potions in the common room, near tears.

It wasn't simply about him, he had thought as the young girl tried desperately to find her mistake in her potion. He had never made a mistake like that... There were always going to be people better, smarter, faster. He wasn't a quitter, but he could acknowledge that truth. And, he could work at becoming better. Hard work was key.

Hard work caused better things.

How many times had he seen that tiny Granger leaf through a book, nearly as heavy as her, and carry it around school with twenty other books just as heavy? She worked for what she had, and he could certainly admire her for that, envy her certainly, but admire her all the same.

He watched the first year in front of him for a second, nothing but apathy in his gaze. She had nothing to do with him, and though she was a Puff, Cedric didn't feel inclined to help her. He had his own work to do, he had to study... But, he had a small start as he noticed how calloused that sounded, even within his own mind. He had never been that kind of person, and the girl threw the book sound across the room and broke out into loud tears, he felt himself move forward.

"Do you need help?" he had asked and she had frozen at the sight of him, his temper and mood as of late infamous by now, no doubt. But then she had looked at him, seen his honest question and gave him a grateful look that had made him feel so, well,  _nice_.

That night was the first of many times that he reached out and helped someone, and as time went on, Cedric was surprised that he had never stopped. But what really shocked him more than anything, was that he enjoyed doing it.


	2. Chapter 2

Cedric watched her. It wasn't intentional, not really. He wasn't keeping tabs on Granger, and he didn't hound for information about her. The younger Gryffindor was someone that really had nothing to do with him. He didn't feel inclined to even talk to her at first. But since his third year, he had found himself, subconsciously, looking at that bushy haired girl(it was only bushy because the riot of curls around her face was frizzy and thick). Subtly, at odd moments when he didn't even notice the action itself until she looked back (mortifying whenever she did), or she moved out of sight.

He also noticed things... That she was isolated, and he remembers vividly how sorry he had felt for thinking ill of her. She was smarter than he had been at that age, but the wide berth that most of her house(except for a few of the older kids) made him feel as if he had been an arse, even if he had never told the girl anything of ire, she had still been the focus of it. She was a lonely kid that took solace in her books, and on some level, he could emphasize with that. He had never really had friends till Hogwarts: he went over to the Weasleys sometimes growing up, but Ron as too young, Ginny a giggling girl and the twins were perfectly content with themselves( _neither Fred nor George had the inclination of playing with him, and when Bill and Charlie there he was just a tag-a-long at best whenever his mum had to come along to have tea with Mrs. Weasley_ ).

Sometimes the tears would glisten in Hermione Granger's eyes, but her little chin high and her brown eyes, a light, rich color, even with the tears, would narrow and she would speak, something witty and sharp no doubt, from the reactions of others... But still, he knew someone had to befriend the girl, it wouldn't do for her to be alone, she needed to human interaction.

Then he had come up with the brilliant plan...  _He_  would be her friend. He had never really been more embarrassed to be so giddy at the prospect, and after the Halloween feast, he would have spoken to her(it was only then that he had plucked up the courage). He had waited, glancing at the doors as he laughed absentmindedly with his mates. She had never come, and then a troll had to come and make him anxious... Where was Granger? Was she okay? Those questions plagued him all night...

Then the next morning she had come to breakfast, chatting adamantly with Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, and the lonely little girl that was so damn smart had found friends without him stepping in. He had felt... Cheated? He supposed that was the word, as a third year, watching that little first year with that near sentient hair beam and laugh as she hadn't before, with the other two had made him feel cheated...


	3. Chapter 3

Cedric's second semester of his third year at Hogwarts had started out pretty well, his grades shot to the top of the class again, and he watched with fondness as several of his Housemates, and anyone outside of it brave enough to ask, flourish underneath his bi-weekly tutoring sessions(with Quidditch practice and homework, it was all he could manage, and he was glad he could squeeze that in). For the most part, his study group was set with a few regulars and a few odd people that needed help with a specific spell or potion, or maybe grammar in an essay.

The sessions were usually on Saturdays, and he spent the better part of the morning in the library or outside if anyone needed a practical lesson. It was usual for most to leave before noon, since they wanted to spend the day with their friends and in the sun, and he didn't force them to stay. He usually spent the rest of the day studying or researching, but that day was different. He never expected to find Hermione Granger looking at him from behind a shelf of books, eyes shy, biting her lip as she peeked around the corner. He should have expected it really, the girl, when not with her new friends practically lived in the Library. It was only a matter of time before he ran into her.

"Hullo. Need any help?" he asked, and gestured to the empty chair next to him. She stared at it for half a second, and he wondered where Potter and Weasley were.

She jolted back as if she had reacted slowly, and blushed to the tips of her ears. He saw because she automatically pushed her hair out of her face and behind them. They were small, delicate lobes with tiny studs in them, a blue stone that flashes faintly in the light.

"OH! No, I just... That book..." she said, gesturing to the book in front of him... Advanced Transfiguration...

"Did you want it?" he asked, and he felt suddenly very eager to give it to her. She shook her head and smiled slightly, her two front teeth prominent.

"I just wanted your opinion on it, really," she said, and he noticed that she had emerged from the bookshelf, and her shoulders raised slightly. But her hands twisted in the sleeves of her robes.

He had never seen her so nervous. She was always very direct, chin up and firm gaze every time she went up to the high table to discuss things with Professors.

"Dull as a doorknob really, but has a good theoretical grasp on Transfiguration, a little dated and choppy in its use of wand movements, and the applications of magical power behind each spell seems excessive... A better book is the Transfiguration Guide of Animagi, but that one is a little limited in its use, it was meant for a specific application..."he trailed off, and felt his face grew hot as he realized that he had gone off on a rant again, something he was prone to do if someone got him started on a subject.

Granger was grinning, hough, far more wider than before(her teeth were very straight, and white, and her larger front teeth were faintly endearing), and she inched forward until she sat across from him.

"I liked the Guide of Ancient Magics and its Applications much better for theory, but a good modern text seemed to be the Ronner's Use Of Magic."s he said quietly, and but her grin grew wider.

His grinned back, animated at the topic.

"But those are too broad!" he argued. And her eyes lit up and they began a vigorous battle of debates over references and books.

They talked themselves hoarse until Madame Pince kicked them out. And she, ran off to her house to beat curfew no doubt, and he ran to his, sneaking into his room before he noticed that throughout the entire thing he hadn't introduced himself. He swore as he thumped his head against his bedpost.

"I am really that daft?" said aloud to himself. Something hit the back of his head, and watched the pillow hit the ground with a scowl.

" _YES_! And Diggory you are _not_  nearly as skilled as sneaking as you think." said his dorm mate Steve, and he slid his curtains shut with a swish, and even with them drawn Cedric could hear his muttering.

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

Cedric's third year ended with both on a good note and a near panic attack. Or, well, the events leading up to the end of term feast is what gave him a near panic attack. First, Granger had to get detention in the forest. The Forbidden Forest, mind, and he had given an enormous sigh of relief when nothing had occurred out of the ordinary in the dentition: mad, teachers were, sending a couple of first years off into the forest! Granted it wasn't as bad as the strict stories that were told, in fact, he knew that the upper classes of Care of Magical Creatures on occasion would have a class in there. But still, most first years didn't know that or even know a strong enough spell to have enough time to run in case something went wrong, Hagrid or no Hagrid.

He had felt so bad, seeing her then, head down, shoulders slumped after some sort of business with a Dragon(He didn't know the story behind that at all, the rumors were too wild to be true). Then, of course, she had to get into some sort of adventure with Harry Potter. Cedric had heard it all from his head of House, who had told the story sadly and mournfully, three of their youngest students in the hospital wing. She had listed the names, and patted the hands of various first(and a few strangling seconds) who had cried out at the name Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and of course, Hermione Granger.

Cedric had frozen stock still in the middle of the Set, chest heaving at the thought of the girl with the sentient hair and the kind, closed-lipped smile, and brandy colored eyes that he had been watching since the first major grading period. She was in the hospital wing, and he had nearly jumped up and bolted out to go see her if it weren't from Professor Sprout reassuring the 'Puffs that no one was seriously hurt, scrapes and bruises, and a mild case of magic drain regarding a young Mister Potter. He had never thought hearing of someone with a somewhat serious injury would have made him feel so happy.

It hadn't stopped him from sending her a get well card. And then he had to be his daft self and not sign it. Her response had had him over the moon, and admiring her neat, if simplistic script. He really hadn't expected the correspondence to go on, nor for him turning into such a coward that he couldn't even admit to the twelve year old who he was. But, like a game of cat and mouse, they wrote to each other, and well into the summer into it became such a staple in his life that her letter came at daily. And he felt somewhat puzzled by his overall enthusiasm whenever his owl, Lackadaisy, came bearing her letters. But it never really stopped him from feeling it.


	5. Chapter 5

_Dear Sir-Who-Never-Has-Told-Me-Their-Name,_

_I am very well, thank you for asking. France has been lovely again this year,(I did tell you that I go nearly every year to the continent to visit my mother's family, right?) but I seemed to have a big worry: Harry still hasn't written to me, and I find that horribly concerning. I've written letter after letter, and nothing! I sent a letter to Ron over my concern, and I think he's going to do something crazy. Honestly, if I wasn't so far away myself I would do something as well... But, well, I'm in France, and I just hope that Ron doesn't do anything stupid or illegal. Though, considering it is Ron, I can only hope that he doesn't get caught instead..._

_On that note, how are you? Your summer has been pleasant I hope. The biscuits your mother sent me were lovely, by the way, but of course, she didn't give her name either. Are you trying to be impossibly difficult, and did you get that nature from your mother? Anyway, enclosed is a baker's dozen of Croquembouche- or at least the smaller versions of them, I really did not want to overload your poor owl- I do hope you enjoy them, I know I can't have enough! I hope to hear from you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger_


	6. Chapter 6

_Dear Hermione,_

_You have mentioned going to the continent every year to visit your extended relatives before you left for France I believe. And the fact that most of your cousins are much older than yourself. I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. Are your cousins being annoying or as snobbish as you described them to be? And as to Harry not writing, he has to be daft or seriously impaired to not write. I hope Ron can bust him out from whatever trouble he's in... Sorry, I didn't want to make it seem so drastic, I mean, it's not like he's in a barred room or anything, it's just probably a problem with his owl..._

_Yes, I do love being incredibly difficult, and I think my mum thinks it's funny that I'm keeping my identity secret. I have no idea what that woman thinks of half the time when I found out she sent you biscuits, I nearly had a heart attack, and she laughed at me! Something about a good impression or something of that like. My summer has been great. Mainly playing quidditch and helping around the house(not something as nice as France for me!), and being with my mates every other week or so._

_And yes, the Cr...Croqe- Croquembouche(I had to look at your letter for that!) were delicious. It's my favorite dessert after eclairs now... School's nearly here... Isn't that nice? Perhaps we could still write to each other? I know we could meet... But I have a feeling that you won't look at me the same if we actually met. People tend to not look beyond my face, and... Well, I don't want that to happen with you._

_Sincerely,_

_A Friend._


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione Granger stared at the letter in her hands, frowning slightly, and she pushed back a wayward curl behind her ear. ' _A Friend_ ', and flopped back onto her bed in an ungraceful drop onto her the guest bed of her Aunt's. The letter itself was written in a somewhat messy scrawl, but nowhere as bad as Ron's chicken scratch. She had no idea what to think she thought, lifting the letter to her face to read it again. She had done it so many times now.

 _A Friend_.

Was he really? She had no doubt it was a boy(one of the few things she was certain of when it came to her mysterious pen pal), and she found herself wondering who it could be. It was a boy, student of Hogwarts. An older student by her guess of how he wrote and his overall character was a curious mix of maturity and childlike behavior often associated with young adults far above what she had observed from her direct peer group.

From his bewilderment of some things she had referenced in her letters, born and raised wizarding world with hardly any non-magical interaction, he owned a common owl breed, a barn owl, he had both parents, loved quidditch, and played for his house team(position and house another thing he refused to tell, lest he give it away he claimed).

She chewed absently on the feather of her quill(a horrid habit that had carried over from her pen and pencil days), the possibilities of finding his identity through what she had gather alone was slim: many of Hogwarts fit those requirements well enough, and even with a small population of only around five hundred students, her options were still widespread... Hermione was a very stubborn person, even from the tender age of babyhood, as her parents were quick to tell anyone who would listen, she was tenacious and went for the thing she wanted with a sort of bull-headed, unshakable determination. And Hermione very much wanted to know the identity of the person who wrote to her so frequently.

So, with much eagerness, she wrote:

_Dear Friend-_


	8. Chapter 8

_Dear Friend,_

_I am very pleased to inform you that that is mighty double standard. You know my name, yet I don't know yours. I wouldn't dare to treat me differently unless you did to me. But, well, I guess I can't really force you to tell me. Unless I get your owl to peck you until you do. She likes me more anyway… I do hope you'll tell me soon, least I try and figure it out myself. I have narrowed it down after all._

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger_

_P.S. You completely jinxed it. Harry was in a barred room, only his letters were being taken away by a House-elf of all things._

_P.P.S. What is a House-elf exactly?_


	9. Chapter 9

_Dear Hermione,_

_Lackadaisy does not like you better! She just likes your treats better which, I might add is completely different than liking you better(what do you feed her, each time comes from you, she is evidently pleased). And, honestly, I'm a bit embarrassed to tell you who I am... You'd think I'm mad or daft. Perhaps both. I mean, we have spoken in person only once! But really, please don't try to find out. I will tell you... Er, eventually, but just give me time. Please?_

_Wait, what do you mean Potter was in a barred room?_

_Sincerely,_

_A Friend_

_P.S. A House Elf is a magical creature, they bind themselves to a family, and care for them. To House Elves', serving is a great honor because... Well, it's like a mother and a child, the mother is never happier dotting on children right? To a House Elf, witches and wizards are children that can't do anything right and need them to do it. Or, well, that's what our House Elf, Lolly says whenever I ask her whether she would prefer to be... You, know, 'freed'. She loves being with us, and we love her. She says that Elves choose their family, and from the bound themselves._


	10. Chapter 10

_Dear Friend,_

_It is exactly as it sounds. Harry was being kept in a barred room! I'm so surprised and horrified and so many other things that I can't even write properly! I apologize for my horrid penmanship. Anyway, he's out now, and as much as I like to tell you how, I'd rather not incriminate Ron and his brothers. He's safe and at the Weasleys. That much I can say._

_Other than that, can you believe we're going back to school? It's so odd to think of that. Last year I was just... An ordinary girl who had odd things happening around them and this year I'm a second-year student at a school of Witchcraft and Wizardry! I'm sure it's all the same to you, you grew up knowing you're a wizard. But, I didn't and it so wonderful and strange don't you think?_

_I'm going to Diagon Alley soon, and I'm so excited! Did you see all the Lockhart books on the list? He must be impressive if the new Defense teacher has us buying the entire set of his travels... Are you ready for school?_

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger_

_P.S. Lolly sounds incredibly loyal and wonderful._

_P.P.S. I'm sorry if I sounded so sporadic, I was just irritated._

_P.P.P.S. Do you read any muggle literature?_


	11. Chapter 11

_Dear Hermione,_

_Is he okay? I mean... Why the barred windows?! And what do you mean you can't tell me how he got out? You cannot just drop that sort of revelation without saying anything about it. Seriously, Hermione, he was in a barred room?_

_I can understand that to some extent. I mean, last year, I was so sure of myself. I didn't really need to try at anything, my life was going- well great really, but then ... And then it just went away. I found astonishingly enough, that not trying wouldn't get me anywhere, and that things wouldn't be handed to me on a silver platter. And I was nicer for it. It might not seem to be as big as a change from thinking you're a muggle to a witch... But it changed me a lot. And I'm really thankful for the person that caused that changed._

_Lockhart is a bit much. All his blond, his insanely white teeth. I've read his books, and there are some odd things with the timelines, in fact, some of his adventures took place at the same time, across two continents! Isn't that odd?_

_Sincerely,_

_A Friend_

_P.S. We all love Lolly very much._

_P.P.S. Not as much as I like, I mean, I really don't have that much access to it. But I am terribly fond of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I found that in an Aunt's closet._


	12. Chapter 12

_Dear Friend,_

_I wish to tell you, I really do, but Ron and his brothers are up to their neck in trouble and it's not my secret to tell. As for the windows? Bared and all. I went to check up on their house since I live a bit aways, and they had the bars right there... In their Rose bush, but still there. It made me sick._

_That person must be wonderful if he or she changed your life so much! For me, Harry and Ron changed me. I was just scared of making friends, never really did have those before, and they... They let me in, took me seriously in a way that no one anyone our age has ever had before after defeating a Troll of course. I mean really._

_**Boys.** _

_Really? I must check when I get my books as well. I mean I never thought to look at them like that. However, Dumbledore would only get the best person for the job, and an idiot wouldn't get books if they were shifty, right?_

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger_

_P.S. I adore that book! Have you read the rest of the books in the series?_

_P.P.S. Do wizards have computers?_


	13. Chapter 13

_Dear Hermione,_

_Bars in a rose bush. Sounds like a bad pun. Anyway, so that whole Troll thing was true? Half the school thought that you guys simply passed it the hallways and got caught by the teachers. What in the bloody head were you three thinking, going after a full grown mountain troll?!_

_I've never actually spoken to her. Well, more than a single conversation. I bet she doesn't know my name. Or if she does she just believes what everyone else does and doesn't really think too much of me. I'm just another face in the crowd. But that's fine I suppose, I know that she changed me for the better and I'm grateful._

_Massive inconsistencies, check them! I absolutely loathe him for that. Not to mention all his preening, I mean, I guess he's a handsome bloke but he's vain. Too much in my opinion. But, I bet it's a witch that fancies him for that._

_Sincerely,_

_A Friend_

_P.S. THERE ARE MORE BOOKS?!_

_P.P.S. I have no idea what a computer is. Is it a sort of sweet or book?_

 


	14. Chapter 14

_Dear Friend,_

_It does sound like a bad pun, know that I think of it. And checked the Lockheart books. I think they're very well written... Despite all of its overly flowery language and his tendency to blab on and on about himself, he does tell a compelling story. But you're right. They're very inconstant when it comes to his style of magic, not many wizards are so good at so many different areas, and many of them take place at the same time! However, I've researched all of the magic in them very carefully. They are sound, at least in theory, I've found! I bet this Lockheart knows how to research if anything._

_Enclosed is the next book in the series, as well as the prequel to the Chronicles of Narnia. There a bit dense on the prequel end, but they amount to a good amount of pay off in the later novels. Do tell me if you like it. I hope you enjoy it as much as the last one, and I'm sorry if Lackadaisy is a little weighed down! A computer is an electrical device that more or less has the ability to perform several basic functions such as a typewriter-like device, operate video games, or even access the internet. It's very handy, though I've never really have gotten the hang of it myself since my magic has a strange effect on electricity. Perhaps all magical beings emit an electromagnetic field that interferes?_

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger_

_P.S. What on earth are the Weird Sisters?_

_P.P.S. I hope you have a wonderful year this year, and that we can meet!_


	15. Chapter 15

_Dear Hermione-_

Cedric stared at his letter. He had only been able to write that one word and her name before he found himself at a lost for what to say. There he had been, on the train towards Hogwarts, surrounded by his mates and chewing absently on his sugar quill and he had no idea how to respond to her wish to meet him. On the one hand, he wanted to speak to her again. In the Library her first year, their discussion over books had been fascinating, and stimulating. He could understand why she was considered the smartest witch of her generation, as he had heard some call her. The fact that she could keep up with him, a third year at the time, and had not grown up with magic?

Well, Hermione knew how to research and analyze very well. And she was just... Great to talk too. Even through their letters, he had found himself relaxed, answering her questions eagerly and happily. At the time she would have been turning only thirteen soon. He had already had been racking his brains since she had told him in a letter to see what he would get her. Sure, a book would be easy enough, but then their was a risk that he would get her something she already owned. He knew as a fact that her parents not only bought her the books she needed for her school term but roughly ten to go with that of her choosing.

"Excuse me."came a soft voice that Cedric had seemed to always listen for in the halls. He jumped, looked up and folded his letter as he spotted Hermione Granger leaning against the door frame shyly, her trunk in hand, or really on the ground with the handle in hand.

"Can we help you?"he had found himself saying, and she smiled, small, without teeth.

"I was just going to ask you if you knew what compartment Harry Potter and Ron Weasley are in?"she asked, and her eyes flickered around the room.

"Yeah I haven't seen them past, but I did see Fred, George and their little sister, their at the back of the train, ask them."said Steve, popping a 'jelly belly' in his mouth. The half blood smiled easily at the second year, and she grinned as he offered her some.

She delicately picked out some, and ate them.

"Thank you." she mentioned.

"You're welcome Granger." winked Steve.

The girl, flushing slightly, made to leave, but she struggled with her heavy trunk. Ladden with books no doubt. Cedric stood up, shoved his letter into his pocket to finish later and picked up her trunk.

"Let me take that for you."he said gently, closing the compartment door behind him and lifting the heavy trunk with ease. Thank goodness for Quidditch, he thought.

Hermione frowned slightly.

"I can carry it." she said, crossing her arms.

He smiled, nervously under her gaze, and tried not to fidget. Hermione was not shy, or at least she wasn't in the sense that she would look away from people. Her eyes were very firm, soft brown that would look directly at anyone who spoke to her. She always made sure to look into the eyes of the speaker, and the fact that she was speaking to him did strange things to his stomach.

"I know you can. But I want to help you, is that alright?"

She narrowed her eyes, sighed, then smiled.

"Alright. But only because you are being a gentleman."

He grinned. He felt his cheeks warm slightly, and he thanked Circe that he had gotten a tan over the summer.

"Well, let's find your friends."

The walked in a comfortable silence, and he noticed faintly by looking in the corner of his eyes that she didn't reach his shoulders yet, and that her long, curly hair was less frizy then it had been last year, and was past her shoulder blades now. Her somewhat pale skin look that she had gotten a slight tan, and he wondered if she had gone to the beach with her cousins as she had said she would. There were more freckles across her nose-

"Hermione Granger by the way."she mentioned offhandedly, and he nearly tripped over his feet.

"Cedric Diggory."he replied, and he tried not to be a little eager at introducing himself.

"We spoke in the Library, last term, do you remember?"she asked shyly, furrowing her brow as if she was worried that he wouldn't remember and Cedric had to temper his smile slightly as he wanted to beam eagerly at her.

"Yeah, I remember thinking that it was impressive for a first year to know about  _Ronner's Use of Magic._ " he mused. That hadn't been the only thing, but well, he couldn't really tell her that quite yet.

She flushed slightly, a pretty little spot of pink on her nice cheekbones.

"Well, it was put as a resource in my Transfiguration textbook so I thought it would help me understand the theory better if I read all of its sources-"

"You do know there's about a dozen resources mentioned in the book, not to mention books you can use for further study-"he interrupted, only for her to interrupt.

"Yes. But it's so fascinating, don't you think?" she gushed, beaming slightly.

He grinned at her expression.

"Yeah, I do think so."

The walked for another beat, Hermione's eyes flickering side to side, looking for her friends no doubt.

"What's it like being the fourth year?" she asked.

Cedric rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged.

"I suppose it's a bit like every year. Can't really say for sure right now, I haven't really started. I bet everyone is hankering to start on their O.W.L.s though. "

"I'd expect that. I mean, really, it's only a two years away! I'm glad I still have time to prepare myself mentally."she said, shaking her head in what looked to be fright.

Cedric couldn't help it, he laughed.

"What?"

"I mean, really, Granger, you of all people will pass their O.W.L.s, if you don't get more than twelve then I will eat my own owl."he said seriously, and she looked up at him, brow raised.

"I-... Well, thank you for the confidence," she said, softly, blushing as he smiled at her.

"No thanks needed. You're pretty brilliant, Granger. In fact, can tell by the way-"

"Oh, Fred, George!"

The two redheads looked up from their mass of sweets, a small girl intensively focused on her diary looked up as well.

"Hey there 'Mione." said the two older boys in unison.

Cedric frowned. He didn't think he liked the fact that they had a nickname for the second year.

"Have you seen Harry and Ron?" she asked, coming forward.

The boys shook their head and Hermione's shoulders dropped.

"I've been searching all over the train and I can't find them."

Her tone was rather irked, and disappointed at the same time.

"You can stay with us."said the smaller girl, shyly, hiding slightly behind her curtain of vivid hair. Her eyes flickered to Cedric, before they dropped back to her lap.

She placed her quill inside of her slim, slightly beat up diary and slipped it into her robe pocket. Her hands twisted together in her lap. Cedric was rather surprised. He always figure the sister of the Weasley twins would be rather boisterous.

"I agree." said one of the twins, though which, Cedric had no idea.

"Thank you. And thank you Diggory, for helping me with my trunk."She said, and she smiled and he put her trunk up on the rack.

"Anytime. See you around, Granger." he said softly.

Before he could blurt anything else out, like demand how the Weasley's had gotten Harry out of the bared room, he shut the door behind him and nearly sprinted back to his compartment.

"You alright there mate?" asked Steve once he had sat down.

Cedric shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck in irritation. He brought out the crumpled piece of parchment, and stared again at the progress he had made.

_Dear Hermione,_


	16. Chapter 16

Hermione walked slowly up the steps of the Owlery carefully, she kept an eye on the ground for any fresh droppings. She liked her doc martins and rather not get any poo on them. Her hair was tied tightly back in a braid and tucked underneath a knitted cap her mother had made for her, another protection against projectiles of the Owls' rear ends. In between her gloved hands was a letter to her strange friend, and once again, as she had many times now, she found herself thinking about who it could possibly be. She had yet to narrow it down further than roughly sixteen boys. And in this newest letter, she had a couple of questions she hoped to use to flush him out-

"Granger." said a voice, and she jumped at the sight of Cedric Diggory, blinking at her.

He had just come from the Owlery, she supposed, and looked rather nice; his cloak and hat were a lovely shade of dark gray, not standard school wear, and he was so  _tall_. Parvati and Lavender always mentioned how he was one of the 'hottest' guys in school. She could see that easily, he was rather handsome. He smiled, a boyish sort of grin that seemed almost out of place in the older boy. He was always eager and friendly, she thought with a smile of her own, which, she thought, was much better than his pretty face.

"Hello, Diggory," she said softly, clutching at the letters in her hands.

"Hello, sending a letter?"

"Two actually. One to my parents and one to a Friend."

He smiled again, larger this time, showing off his dimples. A faint flush appeared on his tanned skin.

"Send letters often?" he asked.

"At least twice a week. I want to keep my parents in the loop as much as possible. Magic fascinates them but it tends to go over their heads a bit."

"Right, muggleborn, yeah?" he mentioned politely, seemingly just curious.

She beamed, standing straighter, proud and pleased at his tone because for once it seemed as someone wasn't mentioning maliciously or as if it was a disadvantage. Even Ron, much as she cared for him, seemed baffled by the thought of muggles. It was as if he thought them backward and maybe a little foolish when that wasn't that way at all. Diggory was merely saying it as if it was interesting, but not as if that made the way she had grown up was horrible and or alien.

"Yes. My parents are both dentists," she admitted, smiling as he grinned.

"Teeth healers, right?"

He gestured to his teeth, and she nodded eagerly, pleased, and surprised that he knew that.

"Yes."

"Brilliant, I knew I got that right, muggle studies seems to be paying off! Explains why your teeth are so white, too. I won't keep you." he said pleasantly, stepping around her.

She smiled again herself and nodded to the older boy.

"I'll see you later," she mentioned, as she had ended up running into him a lot, he was as keen about the Library as she was.

"See you around," he replied, cheerful and with a small wave.

She walked the rest away, suddenly in a better mood than before. She, for the life of her, couldn't imagine why.


	17. Chapter 17

_Dear Hermione,_

_As much as I'd love to tell you my position on the house team, that would make it rather easy for you to figure out who I am, now wouldn't it? Nice try. My favorite color is... Hmm. Blue? Yes, blue. And as for tea, I rather hate early gray and prefer a strong oolong instead. My favorite subjects are tied: Charms and Transfiguration. And Potions. And... Well, I like school, alright? 'Favorite subject' is rather... Well, subjective. It depends on my mood. Sometimes I want to read a history book or maybe a book on potions, despite how pants Snape is as a teacher. I respect him in a sense that he is a Potions Master and all that, but he's a bully. I do not like bullies. I wager you're the same and you don't really have a preference, do you?_

_Since you deemed it necessary to interrogate me, I ask the same of you. What is your favorite color, tea, subject, and book? Go on, see how easy it is to answer that. Oh, and to add another question, what is favorite sweet? Mine are Fizzing Whizbees, and I'm guessing sugar quills for you. Didn't you say, and I quote, 'I have a horrid habit of chewing on the end of my quills. I swear I go through more quills that way than writing with them!'_

_Are you excited for the Halloween feast tomorrow? I am. Do you think that Dumbledore really got skeletons to dance for us?_

_Sincerely,_

_A Friend._


	18. Chapter 18

_Dear Friend,_

_I never did make it to the Halloween feast, did Dumbledore hire those skeletons? Ron, Harry, and I went to Sir Nicholas' Death Day party and then… Well, I imagine you know the rest, as the entire school was present when... When we found Ms. Norris. It was so horrible. The Death Day party and finding that poor... Well, mangy and horrible cat. I swear we didn't do it, the ghosts have vouched for us... But, I know how it must seem. I hope you can believe me._

_My favorite color is blue as well, I'm rather partial to green tea, and I don't have a favorite subject. I love all subjects! I didn't mean that you had to have a favorite, I was merely curious to see if you had one. I suppose I can agree with your opinion on books, though I can say that Sherlock Holmes and The Chronicles of Narnia are very dear to me. Yes, it is sugar quills. They are simple and I can still write my work, and the Professors don't seem to mind... Unless it is Professor Snape, he is the only one who docks points over it. And I agree. Her is horrible to Harry and Neville. My favorite non-magical sweet are jelly bellies! Have you had them?_

_Questions(As I did last time, I shall limit it to four):_

_Do you play an instrument?_

_What is your favorite song?_

_Have you ever seen a film?_

_Who is your favorite Professor?_

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger_

_P.S. Before you ask, my own answers: I play the piano, as well as the violin._

_I adore Rhapsody In Blue, by George Gershwin._

_Yes._

_McGonagall is by far my favorite. She is fair, knows the martial like the back of her hand, and has such an amazing way of teaching._


	19. Chapter 19

_Dear Hermione,_

_I believe you. Don't you dare think otherwise. I know how it looked, I was there with the rest of the school you know, but I also know_ _**you** _ _. Besides, petrification is strong magic and as good as you are, I doubt you can manage that quite yet. If you can, well, I'd eat my own broomstick. You and your friends have a nasty habit of just being places you shouldn't. And getting caught at it. Like last term's whole dragon mess and all the points you lost … You didn't really have a dragon, did you?_

_Dumbledore did hire skeletons, they floated all 'round the room and then proceeded to dance. Quite entertaining, pity you had to miss it. A friend of mine is obsessed with jelly babies, so yes, I've had them. I love them. He has to hide his stash from me every year so I don't take them all. What he doesn't know is that I know where his hiding spot is. I just pace myself so I can enjoy them until his dad sends him more. Shh, don't tell him._

_Erm... Does playing a toad count? Now don't laugh, I was part of the toad choir for my first and second year. It was fun, but then Quidditch got in the way. My favorite song? I'd have to say 'This is the Night' by the Wyrd Sisters. I mean, it's amazing! A film... OH! I know that it's like a photograph but with sound right?Er, can't say I've ever seen one. As for my favorite Professor? I'd have to say Professor Flitwick. I love Charms, and he is rather funny when you get him talking alone... Oh, did you know he was a Dueler back in his youth? Apparently, he's won a lot of awards, they're up in his office._

_My own questions:_

_What is the most foolish thing you've ever done?_

_If you could meet anyone in the past, who would it be?_

_What is your favorite dessert?_

_What is your favorite season?_

_Sincerely,_

_A Friend_

_P.S. Before you ask; I made my own broom when I was six years old and nearly broke my neck trying to fly it off of my roof. Merlin, because I'd love to met the man! Eclairs, as you know! Summer, because it's warm and I can spend the day reading in nice weather or riding my broom._


	20. Chapter 20

_Dear Friend,_

_Thank you. So much. With all this nonsense of the Chamber and Harry... I'm just so frustrated with all the silly whispers of us being caught with Mrs. Norris, and the wide circle we're getting because of it. This is worse than first year and losing all those points because of the 'Dragon Incident'! Everyone is so afraid of what is going to happen._

_We have to find out who the Heir is, or at least Harry seems to think so. We do have a plan, Harry, Ron, and I. But it's a shot in the dark, based on a loose suspicion but it is better than nothing. And yes, I suppose all three of us do have a knack for trouble, though really I blame Harry for that. He is the one that leads us to that blasted cat, poor thing... But well, I guess the fact that we became friends through fighting a mountain troll together should have tipped me off to what would happen through the course of our relationship._

_As to the whole truth of the dragon... Well, ask me no questions, and I shall tell you no lies. It isn't my story to tell. Not really. Sorry, I wish I could tell you, honest, but... Well. I can't. At least not by post._

_Ah, I can't believe I missed that. It sounds like an old Disney cartoon I used to watch on a cassette! It was my favorite growing up. The Death Day Party was interesting, I cannot lie about that, but I was starving and everything smelled horrid. Not to mention that I had to watch myself from slipping into a ghost, for one, I find it rude to ever do that, and for another, it was cold enough being near them without falling into them! But, other than that, an educational night._

_Oh, well, I love jelly bellies myself. It was one of the few sweets my mother and father let me eat, in small amounts of course, but still. As for the Toad choir, I find the music quite beautiful. Not silly at all. I have never heard that song and ten out of ten for remembering! That is what a movie or film is. Perhaps, when we finally meet face to face we can go to the cinema to see one!_

_The most foolish thing I ever did was... Well, before Hogwarts would have to be the time I flew to the top of the library shelf at the public one in Town... They are very high. I suppose that's how I got my fear of heights, but at least I got my book that day! Not that I had any clue how I had done it. I suppose at the time I thought I climbed the shelves. I was... Nine, I believe. My favorite dessert is Croquembouche, and my favorite season is Winter. It's Yuletide, for one, and my parents and I always are together. As I've told you before, I never did have many friends before Hogwarts. But I did have them. Also, I love being able to curl around a fireplace with a good book. Not to mention, I love the snow._

_Sincerely,_

_Hermione Granger_

_P.S. Why is a raven like a writing desk? If you could live in any time period, which would it be? Do you prefer to read alone in the quiet or do you like ambient noise?_

_P.P.S. That would give away the riddle if I told you, wouldn't it? I'd have to say, I mean, ancient Greece. It has such a vivid, rich area of magic that is being rediscovered in the Ancient Aegean era! I have to have noise most of the time, it's how I can read in the Great Hall or my common room. It helps me concentrate._


	21. Chapter 21

_Dear Hermione._

_Are you alright? It's been going around school that you're in the hospital wing and they won't say why?! Something about an accident involving magic, but- Well, are you alright? They said no visitors beyond Harry Potter and Ron Weasley... Announced it right in front of the hall, McGonagall did, when the Weasleys (Twins and their sister asked about you when you didn't come back after the end of the Yule holiday). Please tell me if you're alright, I'm worried about you, are you sick?_

_That sounds incredibly disgusting. Did you eat anything after you were sent to your dorm? You have a tendency to forgetting to eat. And as to answer your questions, I have no idea why a raven is like a Raven's Desk. Is it because that Poe bloke wrote on both? School Founders time, obviously. I'd ask Gryffindor to duel me. And ask why Helga chose pickle barrels as a code to the Set, Ravenclaw to help me on subjects and Slytherin- Well. I'm not sure what I would ask him. I love to read in quiet. The Library. I adore my friends, but I can never handle reading in my dorm. My best mate feels neglected and whines if I try to read there._

_Sincerely,_

_A Friend_

_P.S. What is your favorite soup? Favorite sport? What are you reading? What on earth is a Pokemon? A friend is natters about them, but he won't explain what it is!_

_P.P.S. Tomato. Quidditch, like any self-respecting Wizard. Animorphs, some American book series about creatures from another planet! Seriously, what are Pokemon?_


	22. Chapter 22

Cedric didn't know if he should be where he was. For one, he had made a shite excuse to Steve about where he was, claiming to be sneaking off to the library to get a reference book he had forgotten. His fellow dorm mate was bound to come looking if he took too long and Cedric often wondered if his constant letters to Hermione hadn't been as subtle as he had wanted. He sighed, eyeing the card, a book he _knew_  she would like, and surprisingly, the small banquet of Scottish wildflowers in his hands, snowdrops peeking through the snow, carefully charmed to take away their toxicity and wrapped in a pretty blue ribbon.

He hadn't been quite brave enough to ask for Professor Sprout for a cut of her small flower collection in her personal greenhouse, which he knew was full to the brim with all sorts of flowers, magical and mundane. She had mentioned often enough that anyone in the Set was free to ask her for their girlfriends, but Cedric was quick to remind himself this was not for his girlfriend(he didn't have anyone like that, really). He also lamented that he had never bothered to ask Hermione what her favorite flower was.

He eyed the doors to the infirmary, took a deep breath and snuck inside with as much grace as a butterfly without wings. By some luck, the usually present Healer didn't come barrelling out of her office, wand and scowl drawn. In fact, the Hospital Wing was entirely empty, the only beds occupied were to the farthest point to the door and closest to the Office, curtains drawn on four beds. He eyed them, licking his lips before he took a settling breath, stepped forward-

"Madam Pomfrey?" it was Hermione's voice, soft, from the farthest bed, a strange little drawl that he knew wasn't usually present, "Did you get the Potions from Professor Snape? I know that the House Elves couldn't carry them because of their sensitivity, but I'm afraid someone was here earlier trying to get a look at Justin and the others..."

Cedric nearly fell on his face, freezing mid-step and somehow tripping in the process. He clutched at the card he had made and at the freshly picked flowers.

"Hello? Who's there? I can hear you," said Hermione with a small hiss(who knew she could make such a sound, it was so terribly cat-like), and he heard the rustle of sheets from behind the curtain.

Wordlessly and realizing that he didn't quite have the nerve anymore, Cedric set both flowers and card down, lifted his wand and magicked them to float with a soft levitating charm that sounded as if he had shouted in the quiet, tense room. The went around the curtain. He waited for a beat before he started inching his way out of the Hospital Wing.

"OH! Wait, no, please, don't go! Friend please!" called out Hermione and he stopped.

It was then that Cedric realized that his heart was beating rather fast. Furiously in fact. Going at a tempo that very nearly physically hurt. It didn't help that he felt that he seemed to have stopped breathing. There was that rustle again and Cedric could see that Hermione had gone to the very edge of the curtain, hesitating. Whether to respect Cedric's wish to be anonymous or something else, Cedric was grateful.

"Please. I want to meet you properly," she whispered and she sounded- well.

Cedric walked towards her bed and stood in front of the drawn curtain.

"Thank you for the flowers. And the card. Oh, and the book. I'm so dreadfully bored here- OH MY GOODNESS! NO, YOU CAN'T SEE ME!"

Cedric froze again, blinking in surprise.

"Oh, I look terrible! You'll laugh!"

Cedric frowned.

"No I won't," he blurted.

The rustling behind the curtain stopped. She was very quiet for a second. Cedric could feel his heart, a tempo that was rapidly increasing with each silent minute behind the curtain. So, he did the only thing he could do. He babbled:

"You haven't responded to my letter. I was worried. Hermione, please, tell me what happened." Cedric's voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, but it was much steadier than he imagined it ever would be when he was speaking to his secret Quil Pal, with her knowing he was her secret Quil Pal.

"I botched a Polyjuice Potion. I used animal hair instead of human on accident. I'm part cat," she said in a rush, running her words together in a near jumbled mess.

Cedric winced. On the one hand, he was impressed, she had made a Polyjuice, on the other hand- A botched one wasn't really good either. The fact that she was there and not Saint Mungo's was reassuring. However...

"Are you okay? Not hurt? You didn't... You didn't respond to my letter-"

"Yes. No organs got mixed up, Madame Pomfrey said I was very lucky. Polyjuice isn't meant to mix species. When you do it can botch up the potion, make it change more than just your skin. I've read about a case where a man mixed a dragon scale and burned his throat out because of the fire bladder. I just look ridiculous," she said and to his utter surprise, there was a pull that was very akin to a cat's angry yowl.

If he wasn't so relieved, he would have laughed in astonishment. And before he could lose any nerve and enjoy just this small conversation, he grabbed the curtain pulled it back and looked at her. To be honest, she did look a bit ridiculous, he thought. She was obviously recovering from her mishap, what with her relatively normal appearance, but her thick curls (which were pulled back in a messy bun) had a slightly different sheen, like cat's fur. He saw her ears, twitching things atop her head that could almost be hidden by her hair, she had claws instead of fingernails, long sharp things, and if he wasn't mistaken, a tail peeking from underneath the skirt of her nightgown, that still covered in rich, brown fur.

The most startling thing were her eyes, already large, but now they were enormous, golden glowing things with slit pupils. At the moment, they wide, assessing and taking him in, and her eyebrows were raised high on her pale, freckled face. He blinked, she blinked and she smiled.

He could see sharp, longer canines in that pretty little smile, despite the fact that her lips were pressed tight, a habit of her's to hide her slightly larger front teeth.

"Cedric Diggory?"

He felt his face flush and he smiled back, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"You're my Friend?"

He lost his smile.

"Yes?"

She smiled wider, some teeth peeking through.

"Oh, good, I was right!"

He blinked.

"What?"

"Honestly, Cedric," Cedric felt his stomach quiver at his given name spoken by her for the first time and watched as she tilted her head to the side in a curious, quick movement reminiscent to, well, a cat, "There are only five hundred students at Hogwarts. I was bound to figure it out."

He found himself smiling, a sheepish thing, for sure.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

She lowered her head slightly and to his delighted surprise her ears flatten to her head, and her tail twitched in agitation. Her face grew a lovely pink.

"I didn't, really. But I had a very strong inclination. It was either you or that Chaser boy in Ravenclaw, Daniel Grint."

"I hope I'm not a disappointment then."

She blinked.

"Why would you be? I'm very happy it was you. You are so well versed and kind. Honestly, I know next to nothing about Grint."

He beamed at her. And in another impulsive move(he was full of them tonight), he hugged her. She was a tiny thing. Made it slightly below Cedric's chest(he had always been tall, but he had been growing like a weed lately) and he rested his head on her head, right between her two ears, curling around her smaller frame like a vice. It was warm, hugging her, made Cedric honestly warm everywhere and the fifteen-year-old nearly panicked. Because Hermione was two years younger and suddenly the fact that he had brought her flowers meant a lot more than simply a get well present.

"I'm sorry I didn't write," how was it that the small little yowl there in her voice sounded adorable to him, "It's been dreadful. I didn't want to tell you what happened and I knew if I wrote you back that I would simply pour out everything. You're so easy to talk to. On the page and in person."

Cedric wondered if he could smile so hard that his cheeks hurt. But, the warmness was getting hotter and the closeness of her, hearing her- _Oh sweet Merlin she's purring-_  he stepped back, slowly, heat in his ears and all over. She was pink again, darker, her tail swishing back and forth in agitation. They stared at each other and he wondered if he would muck whatever this was with her. That she would still be his friend even after all that mystery was gone.

"I adore French Onion soup. I don't particularly like sports, but I'd have to say that Cricket is the ticket, as my Dad would say. I'm currently reading Pride and Prejudice for the sixth hundredth time. Pokemon is a video game, cartoon and a card game, it involves tiny little animals that you hunt and fight against another. It is really popular in the Muggle world."

He blinked. And smiled again, laughing at the fact that she was answering his questions now. In such a Hermione way, rushed and all mixed together. It was gratifying that she was also nervous, that tough little muggleborn that had unwittingly gotten him to improve himself in ways he would have never expected.

"You best leave now, Cedric. Madame Pomfrey will gut you if she catches anyone in here with me because of the of, well, the Petrified rest. Not to mention," she checked the planetary clock with a squint, " It's nearly curfew!"

He nodded and ran off to the door. Only to pause, turn around and stare at her.

"Hermione, what's your favorite flower?"

She blinked, small fangs glistening in her smile.

"It's a bit cliche. But I really do love the rose named after me. I get a bouquet of them every year on my birthday from my parents.."

He smiled.

"I'll keep that in mind."

She turned pink again, highlight the sprinkle of freckles across her pert and tiny nose.

"Goodnight Cedric."

"Goodnight, Hermione."


	23. Chapter 23

Cedric Diggory visited Hermione as much as he could for the rest of her time in the hospital wing. At first, Hermione could only be perplexed by the behavior of her Friend(The fact that she had found him after a nearly a year of searching, made her giddy in ways she didn't want to think about). Sure, she liked it when he came 'round, there was no mistake about that( _much too much for her own liking really, he was her friend. And of course he was handsome, she was not immune despite what Lavender and Parvati claimed, but he was kind and sweet and that made her heart race more than even her mum's trashy romance books._ ), but she was much more used to waiting for his letter. Now that the secret was out, however, Cedric seemed intent on making up for lost time. He did send letters, but he signed the brief notes with his name and seemed to find it much more convenient to come around the hospital wing.

Once he had charmed Madame Pomfrey, of course.

"Poppy," he said winningly, gray eyes sparkling with mirth. He had a small banquet of Hermione Roses, the softest blue(charmed, no doubt) in one hand and pure gallantry in the other hand.

The usually stern Healer pursed her lips, suppressing a smile as Hermione did the same.

"Mister Diggory," replied the older witch crisply, but her brown eyes had turned soft.

Madame Pomfrey seemed to have a soft spot for both manners and patients that often got hurt. With Cedric being the Quidditch wiz that he was (and hence a reckless acrobat on a broom) and as Hermione was somewhat aghast to find out, a completely charismatic charmer (and gentleman), he was easily one of Madame Pomfrey favorite students. Not that she ever admit it. She was too stern and determined on the professional. Cedric seemed to take that as a challenge, which Hermione mused, was a facet of his personality that she had never anticipated.

"May I say that you look exceptionally beautiful today," he said happily, presenting her, with a flourish, a small bouquet of poppies that had been hidden in his robe sleeve. They were lovely. Vivid red and bound by a purple ribbon.

The Healer took them with an eye roll.

"Oh just get in here, Diggory."

Neither Hermione nor Cedric pointed out that a faint blush had appeared on her prominent cheekbones. Hermione giggled and accepted her own flowers with a soft thank you. She placed them on the bedside table, along with the rest of her flowers and various sweets her well-wishers have given her. His first flowers, wildflowers, had yet to wilt and she made a mental note to ask him for that charm or spell and pass it along to Neville.

"Aren't you pleased with yourself?" said Hermione, taking in his wide smile.

Cedric hummed.

"I'll get her to smile one day, I swear. Just give me time."

"Cedric, you're incorrigible."

"Yet somehow you're still my friend," he shot back raising a brow. He chuckled as she rolled her eyes.

They were looking much better now, not quite the soft caramel color he missed, but had muddy some and you could barely see the pupil being slits. Her ears were human again, as well as her fingernails and her tail was gone as much as he could tell. It wouldn't long before Madame Pomfrey would let her loose. He would miss this easy time with her, wondering how they would express themselves in public.

"It's because you're so pretty."

"I knew you only wanted me for my body," he blurted and nearly swore at the fact that Steve's foul mouth was reflecting on him.

Hermione pursed her lips. Cedric felt his cheeks heat. He thanked Merlin that he was tan and therefore his blush should be more or less concealed.

"And here I thought my fourth-year friend would be more mature than Ron and Harry."

Cedric rolled his eyes at that.

"Have you met the Weasley Twins?"

"Sometimes I think, unfortunately, I have."

Cedric snorts and playfully tweaks her small pert nose. She whacks his hand away with a still distinctly feline hiss.

"Then there you go. Two years isn't much in the long term. Wizards live long."

Hermione hummed.

"Who's the longest living wizard without the aide of the philosopher's stone?"

"Can't remember that exactly, but I had an Aunt Cassandra that lived to reach her two-hundredth year. Dumbledore himself is a hundred and eleven, relatively youngish."

Hermione raised her brow.

"That's so long. My Grandmere only lived to be eighty-four and she was the oldest of all my grandparents," she said softly.

Cedric blinked.

"Seriously?"

Hermione nodded. He reached out, grasping her hand. It was a silent comfort, the only he could provide. His own grandparents had died in the War, well before their time. The Diggorys were notoriously longer lived than most, as was his mother's family, the McAlisters. In fact, Cedric would not be surprised if he didn't make it well into his hundred and sixties.

"Magic does so much," she said after a moment, expression thoughtful.

He nodded.

"It does."

She brightened and neither mentioned the fact that they hadn't removed their hand's from each other as she quickly changed topics. Cedric tried to still his furiously beating heart.

_Two years isn't much of a difference._

Cedric could understand that his intense desire to keep tabs and correspond with Hermione could be that of a romantic nature. He hadn't started it as such, after all, it had been more curiosity than anything. A muggleborn witch performing well wasn't unheard of, but the unintentional slight against his own position as the odd Ravenclaw-like student outside of the House itself, plus the proof of his own apathetic tenancies had grabbed his attention no other. Then, of course, came their correspondence. Cedric was not an idiot in any sense and understood that Hermione Jean Granger was attractive to him, firstly on an intellectual level and of course physically.

She wasn't striking, like the third year, Cho Chang's exotic beauty nor classically beautiful like his fellow housemate, Nina White. Hermione was pretty, softly so, and only with distinct and careful study could you see it. She held herself more or less confidently, straight shoulders, nice posture when she wasn't lugging around her school bag. Her eyes were lovely and her face was adorable really, especially with her sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose, her skin was exceptionally clear and he had yet to ever see a spot on her face(he wished he was so lucky). He even liked her hair, wild as it was, simply because he could see that it wasn't really bushy, but rather intensely thick, a layered ringlet of curls various degrees of brown and a hint of blonde and red in her wild mane.

"Cedric?"

Cedric blinked, flushing at her curious look. He had been staring at her again, he always did that.

"Yes?"

She smiled.

"You're a million miles away."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ignore you," nor did he mean to ever find his Friend attractive in such a way, she was younger( _two years isn't much of a difference_ ) and he had no idea if she would find him attractive back.

She had mostly male friends as far as he could tell and for all he knew, she didn't even like boys. Or if she did, whether or not if her attention was already directed towards someone. She was really close to both Ron and Harry, more so then with him. His stomach twisted at the thought that perhaps she did like someone. Anyone really.

"It's alright. I was just asking you if you… If you could help me. I finished most of my classwork but I can't understand this bit in Snape's latest essay-"

Cedric pushed away thoughts of attraction and what ifs.

"Alright, give it here, we'll figure it out together."


	24. Chapter 24

It was a few weeks later, on his way to Charms, that Hermione caught him by surprise: she had been released by the Warden of the hospital wing earlier that day and had just now found him(since she had been released on a Friday afternoon, on Monday she would resume her classes). She had been beaming at him in the middle of the corridor, brown eyes caramel and warm. She didn't even flinch at the fact that they're being so many people around and because of it, neither did Cedric.

"Poppy let you out!" he exclaimed, smiling broadly, reaching forward to her hand, making her do a twirl to check and sure enough Hermione was all human.

If there was a slight feline yowl to her small shriek of surprise at being manhandled so quickly, he figured it was a by-product that would fade soon enough. Once he finished spinning her, he didn't let go of her hand. She did not pull away. Hermione was tactile, something that delighted him in a way that he did not care to think about. It was why she was constantly seen arm and arm with her best friends, or hugging them quickly. He tried in vain to ignore how her long, flowing skirt swirled around her knees, or the slight glance he got of her knees from the space between her long socks and skirt. She wore that along with a nice, bright blue jumper, a bit tighter than her school robes. He had yet to seen her without her robes or large, loose pajamas and he was somewhat surprised to see how slim and lithe her figure was.

"Any residual side effects should fade in a couple weeks. I'm so happy to be in my classes again!"

Cedric felt that his face may hurt if he kept smiling so much.

"I'm glad as well."

"Er, Ced, we'll be late to Charms, mate," said Steve, an odd look on his face as tugged at his sleeve. He turned to Hermione, smiling, "See you 'round there, Granger."

Hermione nodded, pulling her hand away in a casual little pull. She didn't seem to even make important note of it. Much as Cedric wanted her too.

"Right. Meet me in the library for that Transfiguration essay?"

Cedric nodded absently.

"Yes, it'd be wonderful to get your input. See you around Hermione."

And that was that. No bombastic exclamations or even a big show about it. It was, after all, the prerogative of both Cedric and Hermione despite everything, being two years apart, being from separate social circles, to be able to be friends.

If only the rest of Hogwarts could agree.


	25. Chapter 25

"Cedric, do you, fancy Granger?"

Cedric nearly fell on his face, getting out of bed, at the curious voice of his best friend's voice, Steve Summers. It was early morning and he was half asleep. So he was very much caught off guard by the blunt direct questions. It was only him and Steve in the room- the rest of the dorm mates had already run off on to the Hogsmeade trip that was planned that day.

"What?" he asked and he felt his cheeks heat up.

Steve was smiling, slyly.

"By Helga's pickle barrels, you fancy Hermione Granger!"

Cedric wanted to deny it. It would make his life so much easier if he denied it. But, he could never hide a secret from Steve. Or at least, hide it when he was asking him directly about it.

"That's neither here nor there, Steve," he responded hotly, his face burning.

Steve just smiled, like a bloody kneazle who had caught the snitch, wide and unrelenting. He went over to Cedric's bed, pillow and hand as he stalked closer.

"Is she the one you've been writing too?"

Cedric felt his face fall into his hands

"Circe's left tit Ced, Granger?" said Steve and Cedric felt surprised at the surprise in his best friend's voice.

He looked up and frowned.

"What's wrong with Hermione?"

His friend was looking straight at him, eyes green and vivid, firm and strong. He sat across from him and placed his pillow in his lap. He was looking at him strangely.

"She's not that pretty, Ced."

Cedric's frown deepened. He felt his eyes narrow.

"She's very pretty."

Steve's expression did not change.

"She's a prissy swot and a second year. She's younger than us-"

"She's intelligent and cares deeply about honing her magic, of understanding her new world. She's not young by much Steve, she's thirteen to my fifteen-"

Steve placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You know that Cho Chang fancies you right?"

Cedric blinked. He had helped Chang last year over some sort of Potions assignment and they had spoken a little bit of Quidditch every once and awhile. She was gorgeous, exotic, extremely intelligent and with a sort of grace that he knew always turned the male eye. But in comparison to Hermione, well, he hardly knew the girl.

"What does that have to do with Hermione?"

Steve sighed.

"It'd be more expected, mate."

Cedric blinked.

"Expected?"

Steve raised a brow. Steve was probably the smartest man in the room at the moment, frightfully insightful and though, laissez-faire in application, Cedric had no doubt that his best friend had thought about this a long time. He was insanely conscious of the climate and tenure of Wizarding society- His father was a diplomat after all.

"Yeah, you're popular at school Ced and also, how would your family react to well, a younger, muggleborn witch as a girlfriend?"

Cedric wanted to punch his friend in the face for being an insensitive toerag, despite the fact that Steve himself was a half-blood himself. He legitimately wanted to punch him strongly enough to crush his nose or knock a tooth out. But he didn't deny that his father would hesitate to Hermione, as much as he loved his father and most of his family, he didn't deny that, well, a muggleborn wasn't the best thing to bring home to meet the parents. He had a cousin, Serenity, who had married a muggleborn and his father had legitimately hesitated in attending the wedding(he had relented in the end, simply because his mother had threatened him with divorce if his ambition would come between her and their family).

His parents were both purebloods, not the sacred twenty-eight level, but still pretty up there when it came to status in the world(more so his mother's family, as the Diggorys were more of a newcomer and in Pureblood society, that even a decade made a difference). They were not opposed to muggleborns or muggles themselves, had not been behind You-Know-Who in the War, but… He couldn't deny that his father, ever conscious of his stand in society, would look at Hermione and-

"I don't care," Cedric said, bluntly and he was surprised by his firmness.

Steve suddenly smiled, true and large.

"Good. Granger doesn't deserve you being a half-assed about this," Steve leaned back, bare feet wiggling as he rested against the bedpost with a smile, "She's very pretty and she's incredibly kind, but she has a temper."

There was something there, a hesitation that Cedric did not miss.

"Steve do you-"

"For a bit, yeah, I did fancy her," he grinned, "Her first year, she came to our compartment and asked for a toad. Looked a bit nervous but she didn't hesitate to talk to us. I like that in a girl. And that hair of hers! But that went away when I saw my best mate was swooning after her."

Cedric frowned, he hadn't remembered her coming to the compartment. And he did not  _swoon_.

"Do you mind that I fancy her?"

Steve smirked.

"No, and if you fuck it up I can snap her up."

Cedric didn't hesitate to punch his best friend in the arm.

"Shut up, Steve."


	26. Chapter 26

Hermione Granger was a stubborn person, this much she could admit to herself. It was how she was top of her year, it was how she never let Harry go off and broad for the most part and it was how she reminded herself that throttling Ron was not her best course of action(she loved her friends dearly, but they were such  _boys_ sometimes). She tended to be a bit unmovable in her beliefs and it what had served her both well when it came to academia and navigating the frightfully strange and _new_ world that was the Wizarding. But she could also admit that it got her in a fair amount of trouble.

Not that she would ever admit this aloud.

It was probably why she did not get along with the rest of the girls in her dormitory. They had made a very bad impression the first day by giggling half the night as Hermione had tried to get a good night sleep. They had yet to improve and spent most of their nights like this- it was one of the reasons Hermione had charmed her curtains to block out noise once they were completely drawn. Eloise was usually rather nice, at least, but she had several friends in the older students and other houses and did not make much of an effort to befriend others.

"Hermione, is it true that you and Cedric Diggory met each other in the Library yesterday?" asked Lavender, high voice close to giggles.

Hermione looked up from her book, blinking. Lavender and Parvati who was looking at her with enthusiastic and eager eyes.

"Yes," she said simply and frowned when the two girls fell into a fit of giggles.

"Oh, but he's so handsome!" called Paravati, clapping her hands.

"And so good at Quidditch!" cackled Lavender.

Hermione's frown deepened, and she felt her fist clench over her quill. Cedric was more than handsome or good at Quidditch. He was so kind and intelligent-

"Are you two going out?"

Hermione blinked.

"No."

"Oh!" said Parvati, nodding quickly, looking at Hermione with sympathy, "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that Hermione."

"We'll help you!" said Lavender, getting up from her bed to rummage through her trunk.

Parvati made a dive for the vanity that all the girl's shared- she grabbed tubes of make-up and a thick hardy brush. Hermione blinked as Lavender brandished a very pink velvet dress with a triumphant smile.

"What are you doing?" she asked, confused as both girls beamed at her.

"Giving you a make-over!"

"Yes, Diggory will have to fancy you then!"

Hermione felt her stomach roll. She was not vain- she did not seem the point of fussing so much over oneself so much. She kept herself neat and tidy, focused on her studies. She was not exactly pretty- not with her teeth or her impossible hair- but she liked her appearance. She dressed nicely and on her best days her curls were not as frizzy and sometimes she thought she looked rather nice.

"No thank you," she snapped, feeling her cheeks flush.

"Oh, come on Hermione-"

She was already gathering her books with a sniff, intent on leaving early to the library to get her Astronomy homework done. She was already down the hall when she heard Lavender say:

"It doesn't even make sense. She could have a chance if she just tried to look less like swot-"

Hermione rushed forward faster, ignoring the sting of tears. What she felt for Cedric, as he was, was not something she wanted to think about. He was her 'Friend'. She had two best friends in Harry and Ron, but Cedric was her confidant. She did not have temper herself or explain every other thing. He was not afraid to correct her in a quick, precise manner. He was so much more than a pretty face.

Even if that pretty face made her warm sometimes, or happy with a swooping sensation in her stomach when he smiled.


	27. Chapter 27

Cedric was ready. It was a resolve when he came down to breakfast the next day to march over and ask Hermione the question that had been burning in his mind since Steve had more or less interrogated him. He was practically walking on air, with Steve, the bugger, nudging him in the ribs with a wiggling brow. He was beaming and he wouldn't stop until he spotted Hermione, he was sure. It was the perfect day, after all, February the fourteenth-

Cedric stopped midway until the hall when he noticed it.

"Bloody fucking hell," said Steve, at his right mouth hanging open.

Cedric agreed completely as he took in the massive amount of pink hearts and-  _were those dwarves in diapers?_ He laughed, for the lack of anything better to do, the card in the inside pocket of his robe and flowers feeling like a lead weight.

"This is ridiculous," said a voice, and he felt his throat constrict as Hermione stepped next to him, frown and picking at what looked like heart shaped confetti out of her curls.

She was wearing her regular school robes and uniform, but a simple heart-shaped barrette hung by her left ear, emphasizing the small heart shaped stud in her ear that it exposed. _Little things_ , he thought,  _Hermione always did little things that most didn't notice._

"What's the with the confetti, Granger?" asked Steve and he was grinning.

She just sighed, cocking her hip as she went about picking out the little bits of paper.

"The Weasley Twins find it festive to throw it on all the girls today. I honestly think they're trying to cheer up Ginny, she's been kinda sick for the majority of term," she said with a slight smile, still picking at the hearts.

Automatically, Cedric went to help, helping at the various little paper things she couldn't reach. Steve followed him, picking at her left will he went with the right.

"Thanks, I can't even feel most of them-"

"Well, Granger, I thought you had enough with Potter and Weasley. I guess Mudbloods have to spread it far," came a drawling voice, and Cedric tensed as he spotted Lucius Malfoy's boy.

Hermione's lips pressed into a thin line. Cedric felt his fist clench. Carefully, he turned, wand already in hand as Steve mimicked him.

"Care say that word to my face, Malfoy?" asked Steve.

He sneered, flanked by the majority of the second year Slytherins.

"What do you care, Summers?" he turned to Cedric, brows raising, "I thought you had better taste than that Diggory. My, my, your father's not going to be too pleased is he? I understand if you wish to practice on your lessers-"

"I'm not Cedric's lesser," said Hermione, her voice slightly thick.

Malfoy just raised a brow.

"Oh-"

"I can out hex, out charm and straight up out Magic you, Malfoy," she said, voice growing in confidence, she tossed her curls over her shoulders, as she held her chin high. Her eyes were blazing and Cedric could practically see her magic spark as her hair grew frizzier.

"Why you little-"

Cedric raised his wand. Straight at the wanker's face. The boy stopped talking, knowing Cedric's reputation and skill with a wand.

"Say that word one more time, Malfoy," he said quietly, eyes blazing. His nonwand hand trembled with rage in a tight fist.

"Something the matter?" said Professor Snape, voice drawling and cold.

Hermione blinked furiously, moving her head away. Cedric placed a hand on her arm.

"Not at all, Professor Snape, Malfoy was just leaving," said Steve, slick and easy.

Malfoy and his gang simply sneered but made their way to their Table. Hermione's shoulder slumped.

"To your table," snapped Snape, turning away in a dramatic fashion.

_Swear to Merlin he does that on purpose._

"Thank you," said Hermione, smiling, "For defending me. Both of you."

Cedric smiled back, automatically. Carefully he reached out to remove the last bits of the confetti out of her hair.

"Anytime Hermione… Can I meet you in the Library, after dinner?"

"I promised Neville I'd help him with his Potions, sorry," she said, giving him an apologetic smile.

Cedric felt his stomach fall.

"During lunch?"

"Ron asked me to revise a Charm's essay-"

"Any breaks today other than that?"

"Only right now-"

Cedric licked his lips.

_Well, if you want to catch a Snitch you have to leap, don't you?_

"Hermione," he said, voice slightly thick. He was very aware that they were in the middle of the hall, that people were already pointing and whispering because of course they had been standing together for longer than necessary and the whole deal with Malfoy-  _and where the bloody hell did Steve go that wanker!_

"Cedric?"

With a quick plead to Gryffindor for courage, Cedric leaped. He took out the card and the red Hermione roses, with a crooked smile. Hermione beamed, face flushing a pretty pink.

"A bit early, I know, to cast my lot in, but would you go with me to Hogsmeade, next year?"

She laughed, blinking rapidly.

"But why?'

"You said it yourself, Granger," he replied, heart beating very very fast, "You can out-charm anyone."

She groaned.

"That was terrible!" she laughed, shaking her head.

He extended the card and the flowers, feeling the knot in his stomach loosen slightly as she accepted them.

"Made you laugh, didn't it?"

"Yes," she said, eyes warm and beautifully bright, "Yes it did."

To his surprise, she went on the very tips of her toes, jumped, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He laughed, warm and happy at the gesture.

"I love to go to Hogsmeade with you, Cedric."

"It's a date, kitten," he said and he swooped in, picked her up much to her protest and spun her around.

She was smiling though, flushed and giggling.

"A date it is."


	28. Chapter 28

Cedric was subject to very odd confrontations, not even a day of him boldly asking Hermione to go with him to Hogsmeade.

The first one surprised him.

"Y-y-you b-better not m-make Hermione cry," said Neville Longbottom, after he had rather boldly dragged him off into a broom closet. Despite his appearance, Neville was very strong.

The younger boy was red face, stuttering, but his back was straight and his eyes were glaring in a way that made Cedric pause.

"I won't," he said automatically, more surprised than anything. He knew Neville somewhat- his father sometimes worked with his grandmother and he had been dragged over 'to make good strong connections, m'boy!'.

He knew he wasn't the best at magic because he came to his study sessions, a little more shy because the rumor mill at Hogwarts was just that wide and intrusive, but the kid in front of him, rounded face and red, holding his wand evenly told him how well the Sorting Hat had sorted him. The boy nodded, face unhappy and still red as he left the broom closet with a firm glance before he left.

The Weasley Twins were another surprise. They didn't drag him into a broom closet. Rather, they tossed their arms around him and frogged marched him along as he went to his Astronomy class.

"We heard-" said the one on his left.

"That you and 'Mione are," said the one to his right.

"Snogging in broom closets," they chorused.

Cedric felt his face heat up and sputtered at the implication. The Twins, behind their grins, had steely and icy eyes. He blinks.

"We are not snogging yet!" he blurts angry and offended.

She was thirteen for Circe's sake, he had only asked her out yesterday! The boys chuckled, eyes still steely, narrowing as they guided him along. He maybe a foot or so taller than them but they were beaters and no matter how much he struggled, he could not break free.

"Right, that's good, Diggory," said the one to his right.

"Because if you hurt her," said the one to his left.

"We will make the rest of your time at Hogwarts miserable," they chorused again.

And Cedric believed them.

He got cornered by Harry Potter and Ron Weasley about fifteen minutes after that. He would've laughed because he is in fourth year and the boys in front of him are twelve and it's so ridiculous that he has been cornered so many times. But mostly he was annoyed because he was going to be late to class.

"What's this I hear about you and Hermione snogging!?" exclaimed Ron Weasley eyes narrowed and wand pointed his chest.

Cedric was more concerned about the fact that his wand was covered in spello-tape.

"Did your wand snap?" he asked, eyes wide.

Ron's ears turned red. Harry Potter was only frowning, emerald eyes hard. They were both shorter then him by a good foot, even shorter then the Twins.

"Look," said Harry, "We're not here to warn you off or anything, just to tell you that Hermione is our best friend and I want you to be careful not to hurt her."

"Harry-"

Harry Potter elbowed Ron Weasley and gave him a pointed look. Than Harry turned his gaze to Cedric and smiled.

"Are we okay, Diggory?"

Cedric found that this was much better then being dragged into a broom closet or being crushed into the sides of beaters. He smiled, extended a hand. Harry Potter took it and shook very firmly, something that Cedric wouldn't expected from a twelve year old.

"Yeah, we're okay, Potter."

With that Harry took Ron's arm and started to drag him off, much to the red head's displeasure.

"Besides," called Potter, grinning over his shoulder as he put the youngest Weasley boy in a headlock, "Whatever we do to you if you hurt her has nothing on what Hermione will do to you yourself."

Cedric couldn't help but laugh in agreement.


	29. Chapter 29

It was funny, really, that nothing really changed between him and Hermione in the course of him asking her to reserve a spot for him next year once she was allowed to go to Hogsmeade. Oh, little things did change- like the fact that when she gripped his hand, it was done with intent and shy glances between the pair of them. He walked her to the classes he was able, much to the seeming annoyance of her two best friends and even carried her impossibly heavy book bag(first thing he had done was charmed it to be feather-light, she had chuckled and claimed that she had been looking for that spell for ages). Or that he hugged her a couple of times, or sometimes she would reach up on her tiptoes and drag him down for a peck on his cheek. And that sometimes he found himself returning the gesture.

It was new, fluttering kind of thing that made him feel as if he was on top of the moon. Of course, it didn't come without its hang-ups, dating a girl two years younger than him, in a different house, and not even able to go out on a proper date yet.

Oh, they walked around the lake together each morning:

" _Cedric, I'm so glad you can do this," she gushed, beaming at him from beneath her pointed hat, drawn closely to her face._

_It was still a bit cold out, it was the highlands of Scotland, after a, l and Cedric himself was wearing two pairs of socks(he hated cold feet above anything). He smiled, gripped her hand, glad that he could do that without feeling strange about wanting too. He swung their joined hands between them._

" _Anytime, Hermione."_

" _Let's do this every day!"_

She had surprised him with a lovely picnic atop the astronomy tower:

" _Hermione?"_

_The witch beamed at him, hands twining together nervously._

" _Oh, is it too much?"_

_He stared at the small sheet, periwinkle blue(her favorite color) laid out with sandwiches and a small dish of ice and- were those butterbeers? As well as eclairs, chocolate eclairs and he laughed, cheeks heating up._

" _Did you do this?"_

" _I figured it would be silly to wait all the way until Hogsmeade, Cedric and-"_

_He thought she was a sight to behold when she was angry, beautiful. But there was something about a flustered Hermione Granger that made Cedric feel a bit flustered himself._

" _I should've thought of it first!" he exclaimed, laughing, "Just like you, kitten, to beat me to the punch!"_

He had taken her for a reluctant ride on his broom:

" _Cedric I swear to Merlin if you drop me I will hex you into next week!" she cried, tightly holding onto the broomstick._

" _Hermione, I will never drop you," he whispered, leaning over her small frame to grip the broom himself._

_She adjusted herself accordingly, moving closer to his chest and pressing into his lap. He felt himself go very warm at that and prayed to Merlin that an additional wand wasn't going to make himself known because his girlfriend already didn't like broomsticks._

" _I know Cedric," she squeaked when he kicked off, "I'm not terribly fond of heights."_

_He laughed. Figures when he finally found himself a girl, it was one who wasn't terribly into Quidditch and who had a fear of heights._

" _Yet you gave me a picnic on the top of the Astronomy Tower."_

" _That has railings nearly as tall as me, Cedric Diggory, it's completely different."_

" _Just trust me."_

_Her laugh made him blink._

" _Cedric, I am on a broomstick, floating over the lake about a hundred feet in the air and can calculate exactly how many bones I will break if the fall doesn't kill me, in my head, as we dangle from a stick propelled by magic" she giggled, "That should be enough to know how much I trust you."_

_If he had pressed her closer into his lap and tightened his arms around her, she made no comment other than to press closer herself._

They couldn't have a meal or a drink in the Three Broomsticks, couldn't see one of the performances sometimes done in the small theater or even go see a 'film' like she had mentioned in her letters. But they did hold hands with new meaning. They did stare at each other in a way that was new and lovely. And while he wouldn't mind a snog per say, he also knew it was all about going at Hermione's pace. Which he was completely okay with because he honestly just loved talking to her, beyond just being able to hold her hand.

For now, he was more than content.


	30. Chapter 30

Hermione did not have a bad self-esteem. Many assumed because she was so intent on her studies and because of her appearance. Overall, Hermione could admit that she was insecure about her  _looks-_ her hair was impossible, her teeth though clean, were not exactly pretty with her big oversized front ones... But she didn't think she looked awful. She was neat and tidy, she washed her hair and brushed it, she had fairly clear skin, hardly had a spot and while she was not the largest breasts in the dormitory as Lavender or had the generous hips like Parvati, or even had Eloise's frightfully long legs, she was confident in her slim figure. Hermione was not confident in her looks- but she also didn't put much stock in them either when it came to her self-esteem: did not find it a crisis if she could not find the barret she wanted to wear as Lavander did or scream to high heavy for the choker that Parvati had to wear that very day.

Hermione did not have a bad self-esteem. She liked her appearance for the most part, did like to have a bit of fun with makeup and the like(her mum loved to just play dress up, had a fondness of Elizabethan Era clothing) and liked to  _feel_ pretty as much as the next girl(she was one, after all)- but not to the obsessive degree that her roommates did. Her self-esteem was not centered on the appearance she had when she looked into the mirror(no matter how many times it told her to alter her robes tighter or to comb her hair a bit more), but rather where her brain would take her. It was why she tried so hard-

And it was why it was rather irritating for many to comment on how wrong she was for Cedric Diggory.

"I mean," said a Ravenclaw third year with curly reddish-blonde hair, whispering to another girl, rather pretty looking really with elegant black hair and dark slanted eyes, "She isn't even that pretty! I don't know what Cedric sees in her!"

"Marietta, she'll hear you!" hissed the girl, pulling on the robe of her friend.

The friend simply frowned.

"I don't care, Cho," said Marietta, glaring in her direction, "You're loads pretty than her. Cedric should be dating you."

The girl, Cho, flushed but didn't say another word. Hermione frowned, stopped, feeling Harry and Ron stop at her sides too.

"What do you mean Hermione isn't pretty?!" said Ron, rather harshly.

The two Ravenclaws stopped, gaped at his loud and rude tone. Hermione just blinked in surprise.

"Marietta didn't mean it-" started the girl, Cho,

"I think she did," said Harry, quietly, in that intent way of his.

Cho looked at him and blinked rapidly.

"She's just upset-"

"I can speak for myself, Cho! You've fancied Cedric for ages and are much prettier. You should be his girlfriend instead," said Marietta, tossing her hair angrily behind her shoulder.

Hermione tilted her head to the side, before frowning.

"And what makes you say that? Why is being prettier the only factor that makes her a better girlfriend?"

They two girls looked at her and she saw the girl, Cho, flush. She bit her lip, looking surprisingly close to tears. Hermione felt bad- she really did- but Marietta was being rather haggish to her.

"She's older than you, is on the Quidditch team and is much smarter!"

"Are you bloody insane?" said Ron, hotly, "Hermione is bloody brilliant- scary- but brilliant! And Quidditch isn't everything!"

"And Cedric likes _her_ ," said Harry, frowning looking uncomfortable as he looked at Cho, who started to cry, "It's nothing against you, Cho, Cedric just likes Hermione."

Hermione remembered her mother and father being concerned when she told them she had made friends with two boys(one a celebrity, her mum, and dad had read all of her textbooks themselves, after all). Something about them not understanding her well. About how most boys tended to as her father but it 'complete blockheads' and she knew he wasn't wrong. Ron was impossible sometimes, Harry was while a bit better, often more than not sided with Ron on the lines of 'best mate' status. But they were still  _boys_.

But they were  _her_  boys.

Her best friends. And it never showed more than now as they defended her against a catty girl and a girl with sad eyes. She smiled, grabbed their arms, and tugged them away from the pointless conversation even as Marietta and Ron screamed down the hall at each other as Cho dragged her away in the opposite direction with a sincerely apologetic look towards them. It was about a few steps beyond the corner that Hermione turned to Harry and Ron with a slight smirk.

"Quidditch isn't everything," she teased, as Ron's ears went red.

"She was being a slag!"

"But really Ronald," drawled Harry in an impressive imitation of Malfoy's drawl, "Quidditch not being everything?"

"The scandal," she added, grinning from ear to ear.

"The outrage!"

"Oh both you shut it!" said Ron, "That's the last time I defend your honor."

"Thank you, both of you," she said in response, squeezing their arms.

Ron just grumbled while Harry gave an awkward shrug.

That was her boys.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter. It's characters, world and loveliness all go to its talented author, its publishing, and broadcasting companies-
> 
> This is just me, playing in its sandbox, making misshapen sandcastles.
> 
> Dear me, sorry about the lack of Cedric in this chapter, but, I rather liked this chapter nonetheless. I've been writing this fic mostly from Cedric's point of view and have also focused on the bits in between with no Ron or Harry in sight because Cedric and Hermione are the focus, but I liked adding them in, even if it is a few chapters in(er, well, twenty something). I hope you enjoyed it and do not feel as though Cho or Marietta are really villains- Marietta is a catty girl being catty and Cho is just a poor girl with a crush. It's not villainy- It's hormones and high school, which Hogwarts is a magical version of.
> 
> I've also gotten a few reviews regarding how far this story will go, time wise- At least to fourth year. And as for Cedric's death- well... Um... I don't know? I really don't. On the one hand, I don't want to kill him. I'm writing ASOL&B because I always thought that Cedric was underdeveloped- well as underdeveloped that J.K. Rowling can write someone- because he was for something for Harry to idolize and envy a well-written plot point and somewhat of a character. Also, I read the fic Eclairs (if my constant and blatant drops of the desert weren't clear of my fangirling)and just fell in love with this pairing which does not have many good fics to its name. So lou and behold here I am hopefully entertaining some people and I'm also constantly thinking of the fact that Cedric dies in canon.
> 
> And I don't want him to die.
> 
> But at the same time... Um... It would take the fic in an interesting direction?(I can hear the fans rallying against me already.) But I digress. Towards my feelings towards that- I'm really undecided. Let me at least get to the fourth year before I confront the evil of killing off my main character if I decided to do it. We are only in the second year anyway. We still have Petrification and Time-traveling shenanigans to get through before we go through the whole shebang of Cedric's impending demise if I go that route. After all it is an AU- anything can happen.
> 
> Please drop a review for any comments, questions or arguments. My PM is also open.
> 
> ~Happy Reading,
> 
> Moon Witch '96


	31. Chapter 31

Cedric is the first to say that two years ago, nothing too  _odd_  occurred at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Well, nothing odder than the fact that two Defense Professors had come and gone for various reasons, one, for growing… Less than legal plants in his office and the other for having a mental breakdown at the end of the term for the fear of the 'Curse' rumor that followed the position since before his father's time at school. But, other than that, it had been rather normal if you ask him. Then, of course, Harry Potter had come to Hogwarts and turned everything on its head.

Hermione, his girlfriend(a part of him always felt slightly giddy at that, not that he would admit it to anyone), as his best friend, was usually pulled into his 'shenanigans' as she had so calmly put it. He had not thought too deeply about the matter until he saw just how that how that affected said girlfriend.

"This heir of Slytherin is just a bunch of nonsense. Honestly, Harry as that! Even if he is related to him, which is entirely possible, he is a good person. He would never want to kill anyone," she ranted softly in the Library, grabbing books from the shelves with a practiced air. The fact that she wasn't slamming the books down indicated that she was upset but not so upset to abuse books.

"He can talk to snakes," he said, simply, and watched as she pursed her lips.

"Yes, yes. But do you see Harry attacking muggleborns?"

"Of course not. But you know how people are," he soothed.

She sighed.

"Yes," she said, gently, this time, sitting in the chair next to him. Without his prompting, she grasped his hand, leaning her head against the desk's wood. She hid beneath her hair and he sighed, "This is worse than the dragon incident."

"One day I will get the full story on that, I swear I will," he said, honestly curious to death over the whole thing.

She looked up, warm eyes shining as she giggled.

"You will, I swear. Just.. I rather not say quite yet. You're insufferable when you get your way to quickly," she said, giggling again, beaming largely.

He hadn't thought she was the giggling type. And Hermione wasn't, but sometimes, sometimes when she was relaxed, at ease to the point where she wouldn't temper her smile because of her front teeth, she would. Soft, not insufferably high pitched but a small sound of innocent and feminine mirth.

He grinned, content, able to ignore the strange and abnormal things that Harry Potter had brought to his school.

"I'll hold you to that, Hermione."


	32. Chapter 32

"You cannot be serious," she said and Hermione Granger was completely flabbergasted.

"Tickle the pear, Hermione," he said and she looked at her boyfriend(what a strange word to use for someone she very dearly liked), who looked completely serious.

Cedric was nudging her forward, gray eyes sparkling. He did not looked phased, not even for a second on her disbelief. He had grown up the Wizarding way, but unlike Ron, who always looked at her as if she had grown a second head when she refused to do something that sounded ridiculous, Cedric simply looked at her seriously. Patiently at her reluctance and asked for trust. She quirked her lips, looked back at the rather lovely painting of a bowl of fruit(she would put it at about Renaissance era, what with its bold strokes of serious realism and abandoned use of color, faintly she wondered what had stood here before).

"If you're making a mickey of me I swear to Merlin Cedric," she snapped, leaning forward on her tippy toes to tickle the pair.

He smiled, holding onto her other hand as she did so, his other hand reaching to steady her waist to hold her steady. To her complete surprise, the pear laughed, tickling bells of hysteria before it swung open.

"Welcome, my dear Miss. Granger, to the kitchens of Hogwarts," said Cedric, arms out in a grand gesture as he jumped over the slight height, hand extended out.

Hermione gaped at the sight of so many House Elves, taking his extended hand and coming out to stare at the enormous kitchen.

"How on earth did you manage to make a picnic if you've never been to the kitchens?"

She laughed.

"I bribed and threatened to hex the Weasley Twins," she said, simply.

"Circe's tit Granger, no wonder you've been sorted into Gryffindor, how'd you know they wouldn't charm or hex the food?" he said and then he flushed at the swearing. Honestly, for Hermione, it was endearing that he tried so hard to not swear around her, it did bother her to an extent but Ron was worse and he was steadily taking Harry with him, and at least Cedric tried to stop.

She smiled at him, at his pleased expression and winked. It felt strange, to be so playful, but right whenever she was with Cedric.

"Can I say that is completely attractive?"

"You may," she said graciously, as he guided her away from the closed door.

"Now," he called out, extending his arms at the curious looking House Elves, "May we please have a light meal for M'lady and myself?"

She laughed in surprise as the Elves rushed forward, sitting them down on one of the four long tables echoed in the Great Hall above, asking questions that she tried to her best to answer as they all rushed off like a little army to make food for them.

"It's… A bit much, isn't it?" she asks, uneasy at the eagerness and the way they fell over themselves.

"Is it?" asked Cedric, curious.

She bit her lip.

"It's… Like slave labor," she whispered, looking at the happy faces of the elves, "I mean, I understand what you said with your elf in your letter and how it is a magical contract between both Elf and Wizard-"

"It bothers you," he pointed out calmly.

Hermione nods.

"They seem lovely and very happy. But I cannot think that not all situations are the same. The power is so firmly given to the Wizard or witch in this scenario that I can't help but feel that it is abused."

He leaned forward, brows furrowed, but face intent.

"It could be. But most people wouldn't care to notice."

Hermione pursed her lips.

"When I work at the Ministry, I will help all creatures of sentience," she says, firmly.

Cedric beamed at her, reaching over to clasp her hand.

"You'll be brilliant."


	33. Chapter 33

"This is ridiculous," he muttered to Hermione, frowning at her.

Hermione laughs, loudly and showing off her larger teeth that he would never tell her he found utterly endearing even if she hated them. She was laughing in an unrestrained way, an odd occasion simply because even he could admit that his young girlfriend was a little too serious for her age. He was a serious person for the most part- very serious, however, his girlfriend to it to a next level in the level of attention she put into appearing mature and beyond her age. And to an extent, she was, and that was one of the reasons he was sincerely attracted to her. She didn't act like most thirteen-year-olds, at least about his age. But it was moments like this, unexpected lightness that reminded him.

"You've made me tickle a pear, Cedric, come on, look, Steve is doing it," she replies, brown eyes warm, "Harry and Ron and the Weasley Twins, too!"

Steve is indeed wiggling his hips in time with the music, arms flailing about idiotically in the  _Macarena_ dance. Cedric sighs, wonders again how in earth Hermione had managed to get her hands on a Wizarding Wireless that turned into a muggle station. They were having a private picnic, but somehow the majority of her friends, and his, had followed the music and they are now all dancing and grabbing at the food the House Elves had made for them. It is an impromptu party that he thinks Hogwarts needs, giggling as he watches his girlfriend do the ridiculous dance with ease and a practiced air, she moved her hips, having shed her school robe.

"Come on, Diggory!" and that's the Weasley twins, in unison, giggling as they move.

Cedric sighs shakes his head and clumsy follows his girlfriend's movements and follows the chorus of 'AYA!' with a laugh.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own Harry Potter in any sense. It belongs to its wonderful creator, J.K. Rowling, its publishing and broadcasting companies.
> 
> This is me, playing in its sandbox, making misshapen sandcastles.
> 
> It's the 90s, technically over the events of Harry Potter Series. How could I not have a macarena chapter? And beyond that... Well, Hermione shares a bit of herself too. It's only fair that both she and Cedric give part of their worlds to each other... By the by, all this fluff is leading up to terribleness. MWHHAHAHAHAHA expect that in chapter 40 or 35, not sure yet if I can write too much fluff to last 'till chapter 40 but I like how that how the number sounds in my head...
> 
> Anyway for anyone wondering, here's my vague plan that I've been working with;
> 
> Year One: Minimal interaction between Hermione and Cedric, admiration on Cedric's part for her role in his way of seeing himself.
> 
> Summer: Letters
> 
> Year Two: Meeting face to face, friendship and the start of first love.
> 
> Year Three: Maturing as both people and a couple, a clear division over the increasing danger of the events in the canon HP universe versus their relationship.
> 
> Year Four: Tournament.
> 
> Year Five-Seven:?


	34. Chapter 34

Cedric kept her close, watching as the sunlight highlighted her features. She was hesitant- Hermione was always hesitant with heights. But she wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing. Despite everything, from her petite height and her endless logic and book devotion, Hermione was incredibly brave and tenacious that was true to her house. So it was when she gritted her teeth and tossed her ringlets of curls over her shoulder, and she kicked off with determination from the pitch, and he was grinning ear to ear as he watched her fly shakily on Steve's borrowed broom. He followed on his own broom, trailing carefully behind her.

Much as he liked flying with her on his broom when Hermione had hesitantly asked for him to teach her how to fly with better grace, an odd look on her eye, Cedric was very glad to teach her. And as he watched her, gliding carefully in the afternoon sun, he recognized her biggest problem.

"Hermione, luv," he said, the endearment passing his lips easily and hardly registering it as he shook his head, "You need to stop overthinking it."

He could see it, see how her mind was whirling a mile a minute, going through the paces of how she was holding onto the broom with too tight knees and with white knuckles. Trembling and with firmly pressed lips, she turned to him, eyes narrowed.

"Don't luv me, Cedric," she said, snapping with a frown.

He sighed.

"Come on," he said simply, and he slowly made his way around the pitch.

Hermione followed, broom bucking a bit to the left, bobbing up and down in a trembling rhythm. She let out a small yelp but stubbornly followed.

"Your magic is feeding into it. Your magic is tied to your emotions. You need to be constant and confident of whatever you're putting in it."

"I know! I know! I read Quidditch Through the Ages! And Comets Guide to Broom Riding!"

Cedric nearly laughed, but since he dearly cared for Hermione, he stopped himself on time.

"Unlock your knees, ease your grip, " he said, gently trying to coax the girl into relaxing. She breathed deeply through her nose before she nodded.

Slowly she relaxed and the broom followed suit, easing into a more steady hover. He watched her for a beat as she made slow circles around him, brow furrowed in intense concentration.

"Look at that," he said happily, "You got it, luv!"

She snorted before she started to laugh in earnest. The broom bobbed up and down with her mood, her magic fluctuating softly.

"This is dreadful!" she cried out with a bubbling laugh, "I much prefer to fly when I'm with you."

Cedric smiled.

"So do I!" he called and he laughed at the scowl she sent him.

They glided along for a few minutes before they slowly started to head for the ground. The entire Hufflepuff team, as well as Professor Sprout, was waiting for them. As soon as Hermione hit the ground she unstraddled the broom with haste, wrinkling her nose and handing it over to Steve, who was grinning like a loon.

"Looking like you knew what you were doing, Granger," he said with an easy smile.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"No, I did not. But thank you for the lie Steve."

His best friend rolled his eyes as his girlfriend turned towards the rest of the team and Professor Sprout.

"Thank you for allowing me to be here, I know it's your practice time-"

"Never mind that, Miss Granger," said his Head of a House warmly, "I'm glad both you and Cedric had the sense to approach me what with all the attacks, and it gives the team an excuse to use the pitch much longer."

She nodded and smiled at the team. Most of them were quite older than her, the closest in age Steve and himself, but Hermione was not nervous, simply quiet and watching. Thea White, a sixth year and the Quidditch Captain, pursed her lips.

"You need to relax like Ced told you. You're not a natural flyer like Potter, but you have to allow your magic and that of the broom to work well with each other. Otherwise, you're fine Granger, not Quidditch fine, but you can travel well enough," she said pointedly.

"I'm not terribly fond of heights, so I doubt I'll put much stock into traveling by broom. But thank you for the advise," Hermione responded politely.

Thea gave her a nod, before she whistled sharply, a signal for everyone to get in the air.

"You can sit in the stands with Professor Sprout, I know you won't blab to Oliver no matter how much he begs," said Thea, before she straddled her broom and kicked off into the air.

Cedric followed, as did the rest of the team. He was glad that no one was taking the mickey at the fact that his girlfriend had tagged along. The 'Puffs were loyal and trusted him to trust Hermione. Cedric smiled and the spent the Quidditch practice going over drills and team building exercises.

If he showed off a bit because Hermione was in the stands, that was his business.


	35. Chapter 35

Hermione did not like flying. She liked control. And whizzing about on a thin rod of wood a fifty meters in the air was not her idea of being in control. She was afraid of heights ever since she had fallen off the top of the highest shelf in the Library, well over ten feet height. However, both her boyfriend and her best friends adored it.

Hermione was also stubborn, and frightfully insecure in only two places.

One, her appearance. She wasn't terribly hideous, but she was plain, and sometimes that was worse. She was not striking, she was just was. And two, her inability to make friends easily. Ron and Harry had been a bit of sheer dumb luck and a combination of adrenaline, pity, and understanding that can only come with nearly dying together at the fact of Mountain Troll. Cedric, to be completely honest, had come out of left field. And Hermione was determined, stubborn and well aware that she might be trying too hard to be comfortable with something that scared the dickens out of her if only to please her friends and boyfriend.

But she still asked him to teach her to fly well enough, and she  _understood_  why Harry, Ron and Cedric, and even Ginny, loved to fly. It was liberating- or at least it was liberating for Hermione the first few seconds until her mind started to understand and calculate her height, how many bones she would break. She was an overthinker- another flaw that she was well aware of.

But at least she tried to understand her friends and her boyfriend( _even thinking this makes something in her stomach flutter and the odd urge to giggle to the surface_ ).  _And that_ , Hermione thought, _made her feel a bit better about her own stupid insecurities brought on by a catty Ravenclaw._


	36. Chapter 36

Her head falls on his shoulder, her lips slightly parted. The book, that she had been holding droops nearly slipping out of her fingertips, and Cedric chuckles softly as he closes it gently. He keeps his shoulder as still as possible. Hermione sleeps on, small huffing sounds of her breath escaping. It's not quite a snore, but close. Had he been inclined, Cedric would have made a note to tease her terribly for it. As it was he thought it sweet and amusing that his girlfriend almost snored.

Slowly, Cedric puts away their homework, piling sheets of parchment together in an orderly pile. Then he went to put away quills, lifting his wand outside his robe sleeve, flickering it about as he whispered as quietly as he could. Once everything was carefully put in their school bags, he carefully grabbed at his discarded robe, transfigure it into a blanket. He wrapped Hermione up, smiling when she snuggled into his side even further. He leaned his head against her's, noting with faint approval that she smelled of roses, a simple but girly thing that most wouldn't have noticed. A faint nod that despite how serious of a girl she was, Hermione was very feminine in a subtle way. Cedric let out a sigh of contentment, wrapping one arm around her waist while the other went to his school bag.

He then took out  _The Silver Chair,_ and read on in the last bit of the afternoon sunlight.


	37. Chapter 37

Cedric, realized, with a sort of start, that Hermione had grown another inch. He realized, because the top of her hair, which used to reach just below his chin, brushed into his mouth when he went to hug her. Well, to be completely fair, Hermione's hair reacted in combination magic and humidity. In other words, when she was right pissed, her hair would bunch up in a mess of curls and frizz that was semi-sentient. At the moment, however, she was not frustrated nor angry, riding off an intellectual high of a nice discussion of the merits of becoming animagi.

He was just escorting her down to the dungeons on his free-period- the Hufflepuff dormitories weren't too far off, and just before they entered the corridor for the Potions lab, they made their goodbyes. The hug wasn't a gross overzealous display of affection, but neither felt comfortable being even marginally affectionate with Professor Snape hovering directly over them. The small growth made Cedric smile, a flash of affection for the thirteen-year-old that was steadily catching up to him physically.

_Emotionally, intellectually, Hermione was already there._


	38. Chapter 38

Hermione, realized, with a small start, how immature Cedric could be, watching as he cackled, so hard that pumpkin juice squirted from his nose.

She both wrinkled her nose and pressed her lips into a tight line to stop from giggling at his red face as he practically slipped off of the bench in the Great Hall. Ron and Harry, next to her, were laughing just as hard, holding their stomachs. Cedric having been startled by Ron's foul mouth, had spit in surprise into Steve's disgusted face. Which in turn had triggered Ron, which in turn had gotten Harry to laugh his head off, Cedric following suit. She, herself, could only repress a giggle at the fact that her boyfriend could laugh so hard from spraying his best friend with juice.

Sometimes it was moments like these when insecurity over their very small age gap, was pushed back for Hermione. She was not deaf to the whispers that came with dating a boy two years her senior. She heard, frightfully well, the way that people thought that their relationship was too naive, too childish because of her own age. That sooner or later Cedric would either try to push her too far physically or get bored with her for not being able to do what all the older students did in broom closets. She was not ignorant, thank you very much, her mother and father had taught her what was happening to her body and what her hormones would do to her. She knew what being grown up was, she knew where babies came from. She did wish to kiss Cedric very much on the lips. But Cedric was all about pacing, hesitant and gentle with her in a very pleasing way. She thinks, that their first kiss is coming soon, Cedric had been more nervous then usual, his hands lingering on her arm, her waist, his lips landing at the corner of her mouth as if he lost his nerve to touch her lips. She was looking forward to it.

Everything else was something that she was sure would come with time.

"Ced, I am going to kill you-" started Steve, blue eyes narrowed.

"You have something on your face, mate-" Cedric giggled, honest to Merlin giggled, swiping at the bottom of his nose with his robe sleeve.

"Just a bit-" added Ron, grinning ear to ear, freckles crinkling.

"Of pumpkin juice," Chimed in Harry, emerald eyes shining.

Steve looked at all of them, a grumpy expression on his face.

"Herms, come on Herms your on my side," said Steve, turning to her with a pleading look.

She felt her lips twitch.

"Sorry," she hums as if she was looking at him in admiration, "Never knew orange was your color, Steve."

"I hate all of you."

They were too busy laughing, once again, to really respond to him.


	39. Chapter 39

Hermione's heart was hammering, as she stared down at the page.

 _Of course,_ she thought, as everything clicked into place, her breath harsh. Handshaking, she quickly penned down the word, pipes, and ripped out the page without a care, as the book she was reading was a library only resource. It was charmed to physically never leave the room and there was no  _time_  to drag someone down here. She snapped the book shut grabbing her bag and getting up, nearly tripping over her robes as she rushed for the door, intent on going to Dumbledore's office immediately with the evidence in hand.

At the threshold of the door, Hermione realized that she could very well die if the monster was on the prowl at that moment. Her breath hiked, and she looked back desperately into the library for something reflective. Madam Pince wasn't there, and the closest thing she could see to being reflected was a metal wizarding clock that was much too heavy and probably attached to the wall with some sort of sticking charm. It was at that moment, that Penelope Clearwater, a nicer, older Ravenclaw prefect came from the stacks, an armful of books and bookbag slung over her shoulder. Vaguely, Hermione remembers that Percy Weasley was dating the guy

Hermione didn't think, she pounced on the girl's arm, startling her into dropping all the books, but pleading in desperation for the girl to believe her. The girl startled but did not hesitate to take out her small compact.

The last thing Hermione saw in Penelope's small, round mirror, was two great big eyes- glowing and golden as she  _felt_ her flesh stiffen and freeze unnaturally before Hermione knew nothing at all.


	40. Chapter 40

Cedric felt uneasy when Hermione didn't show up for their everyday walk. But after waiting for a bit, he went into the Great Hall, away from the small off room they usually meet in. He was stopped halfway to the Hufflepuff table by Professor McGonagall, grim face, hands on the shoulders of a very pale Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.

"You best come with me as well, Mister Diggory," she said, crisply and he would have argued that he needed to find Hermione if he hadn't heard the slight wobble in her voice.

Alarmed at the break in the usual perfect facade in Professor McGonagall, he followed without a protest or word. When they started to head to the Hospital Wing, his heart started to pound. He isn't stupid. He can put two and two together.

_No._

They move past the sectioned off bit of the Hospital Wing, where everyone is… Petrified. First, he sees Percy Weasley, slumped on a chair and staring in disbelief at Penelope Clearwater. Vaguely, he remembers the two walking hand and hand in Hogsmeade. His throat closes, mouth dry and tongue heavy as Ron and Harry cried out.

There past Penelope is Hermione.

She looks like wax. It's the best way he can describe the look of her skin, of her stiff position of someone who was frozen mid-walk. She is a statue of wax, her skin even her  _hair_ is stiff, hardly giving against the pillow she's been laid on. Perfectly carved in her image, he would think this some sort of trick, some sort of magical conjuring. Because her eyes usually so brown and warm, staring at  _nothing._ They are glassy and still, dull. They look like marbles, not like  _human_ eyes.

Cedric hardly register's Professor McGonagall's words as he drops hard on his knees, his chest heaving in shock and complete denial.


End file.
